ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 6

Saturday:

Heavy lift day today.

I got off to a slowish start this morning. I woke up on time I just procrastinated way too much catching up on emails and texts and started about an hour later than I normally do. Life happens.

I powered through the initial ladders with my 24kg and felt really good at the end, my form is solid, and my strength is increasing, although my right side is still stronger than my left side, so I think in the future I will add one extra ladder for the left to see if that helps it catch up any quicker.

I'm looking at buying two x 20kg and a 28kg next month and foregoing the Clubbell stuff for a couple more months as I really want to continue my investment with Kettlebell training. The clubbells aren't going anywhere so I'll give them a shot in a few more months. I'm really looking forward into getting into some doubles training since that's where a lot of people see dramatic mass gain.

Diet wise: I followed what I did yesterday - cut out all grains, but still had my milk. I do feel like I have more energy so I feel like I may be on to something here with this Paleo way of living. I imagine it could only get better once I cut out the milk. A viable option may be to make my own almond milk - I've seen it done pretty cheaply but haven't tried it myself yet. It's said you might need cheesecloth for the pulpe, but I'd think a sieve would work just fine. It also only keeps for 4 to 5 days, but depending on the quantity I could see it being gone less than that. Cost affordable? Hard to say compared to whats available in the grocery store. Link to directions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM5J1OQmKMA

I'll hopefully have my scale back this weekend so I can get an accurate reading of my weight. It's been about 6 to 7 weeks now since I've taken it so it will be interesting to see how much weight I have put on since I started ETK. I do monitor my body fat percentage on a regular basis and do 3 skin folds. It's fairly simple and is the most accurate way to get your BF %. You will need a couple formulas and bodyfat calipers to do this.

The formulas:

Three Skinfold Sites (Chest, Abdominal, and Thigh sites, SUM3 is the sum of these sites in mm)

Bone Density =	1.1093800 - (0.0008267 * SUM3) + (0.0000016 * SUM3²) - (0.0002574 * Age)
Body Fat Percentage =	[(4.95/Bone Density) - 4.5] 100

 

This is really a fool proof way to do this. If you google online you'll find pictures that show you exactly where to pinch. It may sound time consuming and tedious but this is something you can do in a few minutes and you'll know it's right.

I haven't studied all that much today but will be cross referencing some of the material in my other books today, just for some extra knowledge that I might otherwise be missing. 

Recruited my best friend to try and help me think of a business name - that's probably that hardest thing to do as you don't want to infringe on any copyright/trademarks and get slapped with a lawsuit, so it's a real tedious venture, but I need to get it settled soon so I can order some business cards and start getting my name out there.

Also, Strikeforce got purchased by Zuffa LLC (who own the UFC). Some are happy with it, I am not. It just takes away another place where fighters can go to earn a living, and I'm really concerned with the women's division since Dana White is all about the boys - yeah, he's a pig. All that's left now is Bellator, so we'll see how long that lasts.

Cheers fellas, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

 

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 5

Friday:

I think before I get started here I'd like to ask that anyone who comes and reads this just bows there head in a minute of silence for the tragedy that happened in Japan today, for all the lost lives, and the people that are missing. It's a real mess over there right so lets hope it all works out for the best.

Today was a penciled in "rest day" but my Tacfit CMDO High Intensity training day fell on today - not a big deal, the show must go on! I woke up straight away and got it out of the way so I didn't give myself an excuse to procrastinate. I enjoy the workouts, and I enjoy the challenge of pushing myself hard on these days, so it's always something to look forward too. This was also the end of micro cycle 3, which means tomorrow it's a no intensity joint mobility day, which will be welcomed after my heavy kettlebell session.

I got a butt load of studying done today and am just wrapping up the metabolism unit - that was a long one. I also completed my first test and it came back at 88% - not great as I knew the answer to the one question I got wrong. I'll just have to review better next time. I'm also cross referencing the material in this book with my physiology of sport and exercise book which has an indepth chapter on metabolism as well, it's a lot more sciency but it has some great information.

Today, just as an experiment, I followed a paleo-type diet, it wasn't 100% dead on because the only dairy I consumed was my non fat skim milk. Aside from that I did not consume any grains or legumes what so ever, and I did notice that I didn't feel sluggish late-afternoon, I actually had more energy that sustained me till around 6pm when I had a quick nap (after being up for 12 hours) - so this was a promising little trial and I am going to follow a strict paleo diet for a month starting soon to see where that takes me.

I also found a really neat program called F.lux - basically it's better lighting for your computer based on the time of day. The concept behind it is truly brilliant, and while it might not be for everyone you should definitely check it out @ http://stereopsis.com/flux/

I'm off to watch Meet The Fockers now - definitely need a laugh after all that's gone on in the world today and will then hit the sack to rest up for tomorrow!

Have a good evening folks!

 

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 4

Thursday:

Variety day it is!

Moderate intensity day for Tacfit CMDO, with my high intensity day tomorrow - coming to the end of micro cycle 3 and on to micro cycle 4 starting Saturday. I'm noticing more strength and endurance gains which is translating well over to my Kettlebell work. It's been about 13 days or so, so it does take some time to see some intial results - like anything else it just takes patience and hard work and if you put the time in things will happen.

I'm coming up to week 7 of Rite of Passage and realize there's not that much time left on this crazy journey, so it's time to start planning ahead for what will happen after. I like to dip my toes in to a lot of different training methods, so I'm considering either KB Spetsnaz or even KB Muscle, and then mixing in more Tacfit options after that. It's like being a kid in candy store wanting to try everything that's available.

To further flesh that idea out, sandbag training could be a real good idea to add as well, total cost working out to about 150$ to get an 80lb bag - that can go a long way and would open up the door to another new way to train. To be clear I'm not a big fan of gym workouts, it's often crowded, noisy, and there can be a wait for equipment, so this "boot camp" style of training suits me, and will suit my clients a lot better.

I did get back into the swing of things with the studying today and am working on finishing up the first unit (50 pages or so) so taking notes a long the way has definitely slowed me up, but I will taking my first quiz soon enough. It has been very interesting learning specifically how our metabolism works so far, especially the ATP/CP production and the role that has on our physiology.

Extreme Fitness gave me a call just to inquire about Personal Training for them, but it's not something I am going to pursue till I have the certifications required. I'd rather be fully prepared with the theory (I already have the practical) than try to tackle something half assed, which is a problem I think a lot of gyms have when hiring trainers, and does a lot more harm than good. It's a small sacrifice for gaining the proper knowledge.

I've just started reading about the paleo diet and it just jives with me, giving up grains is an easy thing for me, but I think giving up dairy would be very difficult as I love having non fat skim milk with my whey protein. I know there is an option to buy goats milk, but that runs about 10$ for 4L vs 5$ for 4L of skim. Doesn't sound like much but I go through 4L of milk a week just on my own. Anyone have any ideas how to get around on this or should I just suck it up and go for goats milk / organic, whole milk ?

Anyway that's all for tonight! Have a good one!

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 3

Wednesday:

Started out snowing then turned into a torrential down pour of rain. Days like this get me feeling very lazy as more often than not I get stuck in the house.

It was my medium day for RoP and I've gotten more comfortable doing my ladders with 24kg. I'm able to do all 4 ladders with a max of 3 rungs, although I know that's going to start increasing within the next couple weeks, so we'll see how I'm able to cope when I'm at 5 ladders, with 5 rungs. 

I also did 200 swings in 7 minutes (I rolled a 7 for today), but decided to split it up 100 L / 100 R one handed swings, as that's not something I've practiced a lot of, and the 16kg was more than heavy enough for that rep count. Considering it was taking 12 minutes before to do 250 swings I'd say this is a definite sign of improvement. I did top out at 80% of my MHR as well, which is what the guideline said to do.

I did not get much studying done on the CFT today as I was studying a nutrition book instead - I find it's good to break up the monotony a bit and let the information sink in, and then go back to it, so I will hit it again tomorrow. And it's not a bad thing to be well versed in nutrition as far as this industry goes. If anyone is the curious the textbook is Understanding Nutrition, 11th Edition.

I might be coming into a little bit of money next month so I think I can finally score myself some clubbells, a couple more kettlebells, and maybe some gymnastic rings! The past 6 weeks have probably been the most rewarding in terms of fitness because I've broken out of my shell and am trying so many different things I would never have thought of before, and am in turn seeing the results that I wanted, and am training less.

I've got my Tacfit low intensity routine in about another 90 minutes to help me wind down for the night, and then tomorrow I ramp it up again with moderate intensity. Scott has said there is a new product getting ready for release, and it's the biggest class RMAX has ever released. Fingers crossed for Tacfit Firefighter!

Well that's all for today, have a good evening folks!

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 2

Tuesday:

Late entry today and it may or may not end up like that from now - time will tell! I am re-directing all my energy to studying the certification materials and I will be going for my CPR/AED "C" soon as well, so I am getting busier. I am still committed to blogging each day on the journey till I hit 90 days and then we will go from there.

Today was a variety day, and I really did not want to do any AOS: Providence stuff - the book called for rounds 8-12 repeated twice and I watched it through and the moves really didn't jive with me. The last thing I want to do is flipping a kettlebell so it rotates and then have to catch it again. This may be okay for some people but it's not really what I'm into. 

So after asking around, my friend gave me a copy of Steve Maxwells 300 Kettlebell Challenge for something new to try. First, huge props to Steve who was 54 when he made that video and it was one of the hardest things I've done with a kettlebell. Basically you workout for about 26-32 minutes and the catch is that you cannot put the kettledown on the ground. There are rest positions if you get fatigued but you can't put it down. Now obviously if you're so tired that you can't hold you can put it down and pause the dvd, but it's a fun rule to follow and challenge yourself.

I had thought about incorporating some TRX but coming off the two days of Tacfit that were moderate/high intensity, I didn't want to overtrain muscles that were previously worked, specifically my chest, legs and hips, so this provided to be a fun, different variety day, and there were lots of new functional moves to try out. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy because Steve deserves the $ for creating such a cool routine.

I'm just starting my third micro cycle of Tacfit Commando now and am committed to finishing the 84 or so days of it before moving on to something else. The Tacfit fleet is so varied it's hard to decide where to go from here once I complete the Recruit. If I can't decide on anything I'll just move up to the next difficulty level which will give me another 84+ days of workout - so either way, real excited times ahead.

I've also been looking into getting some gym rings since they are very affordable and you can take them anywhere, but I honestly think the TRX pretty much mimics what you can do with them, although the rings may be a lot more sturdy - I'll be looking into what programs are associated with those as well as they build some real incredible, functional strength.

Just settling down to watch the biggest loser, and back at the books tomorrow, learning a lot already about how our metabolisms work. Real interesting stuff.

Have a good night all!

ETK Week 6 - ROP Day 1

Monday:

Today was tough for sure. My Tacfit High Intensity workout fell on the same day as my RoP Light Day so I ended up doubling up. Definitely not my favourite to do, but I still enjoyed it and it'll only happen once and a while, so no big deal.

I did Tacfit first since I knew that would tax me the most because you're going at your max effort for the entire workout. After that I took my Protein/Creatine mix, had some breakfast, waited about 90 minutes and then did my RoP Light Day with the 24KG. Light for me means 50-60% of my MHR so I could still use the heavier bell but go at a slower pace, so this worked out well - I know tonight will definitely be an early one.

One thing I can say for sure is that the tabata protocol + micro cycle schedule has me feeling more energized than I've ever felt doing a 7 day cycle before. That's not to say RoP is bad at all - it's a great strength and endurance builder and I think it could be adapted the same way.

I don't want to say definitively that the creatine has helped, but today with the amount of work I was doing was when I noticed a boost in strength and stamina. This could be purely psychological as I know what I'm putting into my body, but I can't say for sure yet.

My ISSA package just arrived today so I'm excited to get started on that. It's going to be a lot of reading but the way it's broken down is a lot more palatable than most college courses, so I should be able to retain this information a lot better. I did get a deal on it since they had a 100$ discount on the package, which I can use to put toward getting my CPR/AED certification as well. The next couple of months are going to be very busy.

The nice thing about the course is that it does include a lengthy book about Fiscal Fitness that will apply well to starting your own PT business after you finish the course. This is a huge bonus for me as I don't want to be one of those trainers who just stays at a club for his career - not theres anything wrong with that, it's just not for me and I have ambitions of running my own classes and programs independantly. Could I have gone for Can Fit Pro? Yeah, but for the same price I'm getting way more value and recognition from ISSA than I could get from CanFit. And the fact that they are owned by Good Life is a major turn off.

Quite a bit to say today, but I'm off to get crackin on this course now! Have a good one!

 

Mats that arrived today:

 

ETK Week 5 - ROP Day 7

Sunday:

A little late with the post today - just decided to go with the flow this morning. It also does not help that we got hammered with more snow. I swear the groundhog was entirely wrong this year. The weather can't make up its mind, a lot of snow or a lot of rain, and we're supposed to get 35 mm of rain over 2 days this coming week. Groan.

Today was an off day from Kettlebells which I'm happy for because of my heavy day yesterday. Yes it did take a bite out of my ass. It's going to be real interesting using the 24kg and having an extra ladder to go through. Looking ahead I'm realizing it might be more prudent to get another 16kg bell for doubles to see how that goes. It's either that or jump right into double 20kg's after RoP. I have to see where I am physically, mentally, and most importantly, monetarily.

I would say that the joint mobility work yesterday evening definitely helped alleviate any potential soreness, so I would keep recommending everyone to keep up their practice with that. Whether it's through Yoga, Super Joints, Intu-Flow - get it done, it will just help you with your goals.

My Tacfit Moderate Intensity day fell on my rest day today and I'm totally okay with that. I did not over exert myself and pushed my max level of exertion to a 7 out of a possible 10, so enough to get my heart going, but not enough that I'm going to max out and leave myself laying there like a pile of goo. That's for tomorrow, which works out in a good since it's my light day for RoP.

I definitely feel like I have more energy combining the two, and I'm able to last longer into the night as far as staying awake is concerned. I'm getting a consistent 8 to 8.5 hours of sleep every night and I know I would not be sleeping that much if my body didn't need it. I'm thoroughly refreshed when I wake up and have the energy to do my workout right away. 

I do exercise in a fasted state. It's not about fat loss. I just feel that I have more energy waking up in a fasted state instead of eating breakfast, waiting, then exercising. I've never noticied it affect my performance and it's something I've been doing for a long time now. 

So week 6 is coming up and I am going to attempt the SSST next sunday to gauge my progress so I will definitely let you know how I did, how I felt, and what I can improve on. I'm definitely not expecting to hit 200 snatches but we'll see what happens!

Have a good Sunday!