Day 90 (b): COMPLETE

Very sorry for the delay in posting my FINAL blog post, but needed some time to reflect, and also have been taking Patricks' advice to heart, to take a break and rest (read: been out on the piss almost every night).

So, without further ado:

Before/After:

Here again are the final stats:

-Final Weight 67.6kg, -7.1kg (15.6lbs), -9.5%

-Final Body Fat 16.5%, -9.0%

-Final Visceral Fat (gut) 5.5%, -3.0%

-Final Muscle Mass 35.1%, +3.6%
-Final Subcutaneous Fat 10.0%, -5.6%

Assorted pumped-up shots from Day 90:

Obligatory old pants shot:

Obi-wan and the Jedi Knight:

And...The Situation:

First and most importantly I would like to thank your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave me the strength and courage to see this through to the end. Next I'd like to thank the Academy, Team Running Rats, Patrick, my wife Reiko and baby girl Jessie, my family and friends, and all of you out there in PCP land. You love me, you really love me!

***

"You love yourself, go ahead, say it!" As many PCPers have blogged before me, at one point during the Project I found myself starting to wear very little clothing around the house. The wife, who on many occasions I have blogged about her extreme, undying support over these 90 days, started teasing me, trying to get me to say, out loud, that I love myself. It was all very good natured and we both laughed about it, and out of principle I would not say it, but it got me thinking, that yes, I DO love my new PCP body, both the way it looks and the way it feels. But it goes beyond looking lean, fit and trim, or feeling lighter and stronger. As Patrick has prophesized, I now understand my body better than ever before: how it responds to exercise and diet, and the signals it sends to adapt and adjust to changes, stresses and breakdowns.

Being in such a great state of body and mind, it is only natural to want to spread the gospel and get others to climb aboard the PCP Express. But it is a tricky proposition. As Patrick blogged about The Deflators, peoples' natural reaction to others' success or progress is to feel threatened, so they would likely be negative about the idea. I counterblogged about The Inflators, people who are very supportive and truly happy about others' happiness. But being an Inflator (or just NOT being a Deflator) does not make people automatically open to constructive criticism (you can call it what you want, but telling people how to get into better shape implies that they are NOT in good shape, or at least that is the way they might take it). No matter how good the benefits/results may be, being too pushy/preachy will only turn people off, to both the program and to the new you. It is a very fine line that we all need to discover how best to tow.

The question that I keep coming back to is who WOULDN'T want to look and feel as good as we do? Surprisingly, not everyone. Similar to my homework blog post about people in the gym, I think people can be put into 3 different categories. Category 1 is people who, like us, are not happy with their bodies and are motivated to do something about it. These people can start out in a very wide range of in/out of shape, but share in common the drive to do something about it. Actual results would vary based on the program they choose and how closely they stick to it (and some people invariably will NOT and slip into Category 3), but for starters they are the best candidates for PCP and would be the most receptive to our guidance/preaching. Category 2 is people who are content the way they are. These people also come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, although some would appear to need to get into shape more than others. Even though they are happy with themselves the way they are, as PCP alumni I feel it is our duty to share what we have learned, and hopefully some aspects of the PCP diet and/or exercise may make their way into their daily lives (if not the full PCP), for which they will be better off. A subset of Category 2 is the people that are so out of shape that their long-term health and lives are in danger, in which case it is everyone's duty to try to get these people to change their ways, but these people are probably the toughest nuts to crack. Category 3 is people who are not happy with their bodies but are not willing to make any kind of commitment to change. These people would not be open to any sort of advice, are probably Deflators, and are generally just grumpy and annoying. Not really sure what to do about them but leave them be...

The moral to the story is, you can teach or preach all you want, but even if people understand, it is impossible to impose these changes on them, especially when it requires such a high level of commitment in order to achieve the desired results. But if we believe in the system, and believe in ourselves, we set an example that hopefully will inspire others to come along for the ride.

The Peak is not a destination, it is a journey, and despite the stamp we receive after Day 90, it is never "COMPLETE". It is a commitment to a lifetime of eating and living and being well.

And with that, I will leave you with some inspirational words from our fearless leader, Obi-wan:

Don't suffer in silence, blog it out!
The road to Peak Condition has many paths!
So embrace the burn. It's your friend.
Hear the doubt, acknowledge its presence, and do the right thing anyway.
There is no merit in numbers, the only thing we value is pain.

Illuminate your own path, you already have all of the answers.

See you on the other side!

Day 90 (a)

First and foremost, a disclaimer: I am DRUNK! After the Day 90 workout, went out for a celebratory beer with Patrick, TWO BEERS later I'm 3 sheets to the wind! But we earned it! Congrats to Team Running Rats!

Day 90 workout: without giving too much away to the newbies, let me just say that it was very enlightening, to see how far we have come...

Final stats: the last "weekly" stats were actually for a period of 11 days.
-weight: lost 0.6kg, 7.1kg total, final weight 67.6kg. Good.

-body fat: unch, down 9.0% total, final 16.5%. Very good.
-visceral fat: down 0.5%, 3.0% total, final 5.5%. BAM!
-muscle mass: down 0.2% (no worries considering the super sets), up 3.6% total, final 35.1%. BOO YA!
-subcutaneous fat: down, 0.1%, 5.6% total, final 10.0%. Sweet.
-body age: down 1yr, total 11yr, final 33. WOW!. I turn 40 next month...

Final post: I am splitting the Day 90 post into 2 parts, (a) today for knee jerk reactions and (b) to follow a day or 2 later with the Deep Thoughts.

Day 90 knee jerk reactions: a few different feelings swirling around in my drunken head. It will be very odd waking up tomorrow without a daily email waiting in my inbox, and not jumping rope, and not counting grams, and not going to the gym at lunchtime...it feels like the last day of school, obviously ecstatic that it is over but at the same time a bit of anxiety about how to best spend my time without the usual structured daily schedule. It feels like I just bought a brand new car, excited to get it out on the road, but at the same time terrified of getting into an accident.

I asked Patrick what we are supposed to do tomorrow morning without him telling us, and he said "illuminate your own path, you already have all of the answers"...whoa, dude...I leave you with that for now...

Day 89: Homework

Supersets: these past couple of workouts I can really feel and see the difference, my muscles seem to be kicking into overdrive.

Homework: OK, peer pressure, I will submit my gym report. I didn't have to go for a free trial since I have been going to the gym to do my daily workouts 3-4 times per week during lunchtime, not because I'm using the machines (I book one of the aerobic studios, have bands/push-up bars will travel, but because I prefer to workout during the day (not after work) and there is no shower at my office. Here are my observations:

-I think there are 3 kinds of people that go to the gym: 1) people that know what they are doing, 2) people that think they know what they are doing and 3) people that are posing/socializing. The first 2 groups' intentions are good, Group 2 just needs some guidance. Groups 2 and 3 intentions are different, but unfortunately for Group 2 the results are the same. I honestly have no beef with Group 3, as long as they are happy paying the fee, happy with their "results", and not inhibiting other peoples' workouts, either by hogging machines or causing a distraction (which many times they are).

-It would be very difficult to get a proper read on peoples' workouts from just a 1 day fly-by. As often as I go, I see a lot of the same people there every day, and in general they fall into 2 groups: cardio and weights. Although running on a treadmill might not be as efficient for fat burning as jumping rope, if it is regular then I can't see the downside (except on the knees), especially if people actually enjoy running (or the running motion, on a treadmill). If watching TV or listening to an ipod while running does not reduce the level of exertion, I see no harm in that either. The weights people I see 2 different styles: heavy lifting and circuit training. Circuit training is not unlike PCP, mixing in different muscle groups on different days. Heavy lifters are the pump-you-up guys that are focusing on 1 muscle at a time. Very difficult to guage to what extent either type is lifting/exercising to burn, so tough to judge how efficient of a workout they are getting. But from the looks and sounds of it, I'd say many are doing OK.

In general the people at my gym seem to be in pretty good shape and many of their workouts vaguely resemble something that might get the PCP stamp of approval. But I think a more important quesiton is how do they feel? If they feel like their workouts are producing results (and I'm sure most are producing results, just to varrying degrees), and they are feeling good about themselves, then isn't that what counts? In a perfect world, everyone would be doing PCP, and everyone would have ripped bodies and squeeky clean pipes. But not everyone has the means/motivation to reach the Peak. The ones that do and seek it out are better for it, but those that don't but are happy with their results/lives anyway are no worse off....(the exception of course is Group 2 above, or the grossly misinformed like me and my fat back from enema island).

We are only talking about the gym for this assignment. A natural extention of this topic leads me to my PCP Deep Thoughts that I am saving for my Day 90 post...stay tuned...

Day 89: WHOA WHOA WHOA slow dooooown!!!

As I sit here typing at my desk in Tokyo, it is 15:34 JST on Mon 12-Jul-10, DAY 89 of Team Running Rats' PCP. Someone got a little ahead of themselves and moved us from Active PCPers to Recently Complete on the PCP home page status bar. I'M NOT READY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 88: Mixing and Matching

Super duper sets take longer, Fri was OK but Day 89 looks like it would take too long to squeeze in the full workout during lunch time, and although Patrick said it would be OK to break off the abs and do them later (I already jump separately, in the morning), would like to stick to full workouts in 1 session, sooooo swapped in Day 89's bicep/tricep/shoulder 4 exercise Stoopid Set for Day 88's bicep/tricep Super Set, and today's workout took almost 1 hour, serious stuff, especially doing the back-to-back Davincis and Shoulder Raises 2 days in a row. Oh Momma...

(was that the longest run-on sentence in PCP history?)

V-sit/Plank Super Sets, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....did not come close to Brett's 4:03 Plank. The first set was about 3;30, the other 4 were between 2:00-3:00. V-sits were all between 20-30 reps...

T-minus 2 days and counting...wow. Returning to the Mother Ship on Tue for Day 90 workout with Patrick. I'm expecting candles and hooded robes and some sort of either animal or virgin sacrifice....

Day 87: Hot in, hot in herre...

Yup, the same heat that has been sweeping the globe has hit Tokyo, giving our last few days of super sets that extra umph!

Super duper sets:

-Legs: technically not a super set, but I think this was the first time we've ever done Creeps and Froggyjumps in the same workout. Yikes, burn to the point of nausea....hurts so good.

-Shoulders: a super set of Davincis and Forward Shoulder Raises, followed by individual sets of Chicken Wings and Shoulder Flys, I would call that a Shoulder Super Duper Set...

-V-Sits: 3rd day in a row, to failure, 1st set of 35, then 30, then 20, 20, 20. The burn got to a point that it almost felt like my abs were going to pop.

-Side Crunch: to failure kind of tough to make sure they are done right, so did sets of 20, at the end of each held arms and feet up in the full crunch and did between 10-20 quick crunches from there (not sure what that's called, pretty sure it has a name).

In other news, played golf and did a lot of hanging out with

Jessie the Baby, who turns 6 months this week....good times.

Day 86: Accentuate the positive...

Struck down by the PCP gods for lambasting my doorman (for simply doing his job), I understand that with only 4 days left there is no room for negativity. I did my jumprope penance (see pics). Onwards and upwards!!!!

Supersets: love them, but really the only thing to talk about is the V-Sit/Plank sets. V-Sits did 35 the first set then between 20-25 the rest, and tried to keep my legs as staight as possible, especially on the way down, simulating the leg-ups to get more lower ab action. After the 1st set they got much harder much faster w/ the Planks in between. Same for the Planks, harder with the V-Sits in between. I did 1:45 timed sets and made it thru all 5, so technically was not to failure, but w/ the V-Sits in between I was happy that I was able to do 5 full sets of 1:45. And boy was I sweating/shaking by the end the last 3 sets. (NOTE: after seeing Jennifer's post about her KICK ASS 3 minute Plank, I am ashamed and motivated to FAIL OUT THE PLANK next time...maybe I need to do a little more jumprope penance for my Plank sins first...).

Only 4 more days to go. I'm expecting some sort of an epiphany....I'm also expecting the last remnants of my belly to disappear, maybe I should start jumping 3x a day?

Day 85: the first of the last set of exercises...sniff sniff...

Started the day on a down note. I usually do my morning jumping in the hallway by the elevator. I'm sure you can hear the thump thump thump on the 3rd floor (below), but its outside by the elevator, no way you can hear it inside the apartments. And the only elevator movement during those 15-20 minutes is to/from the 5th floor, someone either walking their dog or picking up the paper, otherwise not a creature ever stirs. Today I woke up a few minutes early, so happened to be jumping while the doorman was making his security rounds, and he gave me the boot, said it was too loud and too early. Since I wasn't fully awake yet, and even at my sharpest my Japanese probably would not have cut it, I obediently complied, with my tail between my legs, and went downstairs into the back of the lobby to jump it out. Whether it was my fukked up wa or the change of scenery or a combination, it was not a pretty or pleasant jumping session.

But enough about that....on to the good stuff:

Shoulders: big day today. Frist of all, my aching left shoulder was totally fine (as Obi-wan said, working out makes the sore muscles feel better). Second of all, this was probably the toughest, most burnaliscious shoulder workout I have had yet. Third of all, my shoulders are HUGE, freaklishly so...

Gas: still have it, lots of it....

Bowel movements: verrrrrry regular, in fact so regular it feels a little IRregular. Seems everything I eat pushes something else out to make room. Hey, its Day 85, we're like family!

Haven't posted a PCP meal lately, so here you go: shrimp, asparagus, red and yellow peppers, shiitake and maitake mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, eggplant, kabu (Japanese turnip) stir fried in garlic, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and the juice collected from the shrimp steamed using sake (the alcohol burns off), over grain pasta. Looks/sounds nice huh? Was deeeeelish...

Day 84: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Really quiet/boring day at work. On days like today I get reeeeally hungry, find myself counting down the minutes in between meals and snacks...these are those dangerous snacking times, but as long as we stick to fruits and veggies, snack away, as Patrick says.

Glad today was a rest day (though would have welcomed a workout to break up the boredom). My left shoulder is still hurting, and in general my muscles are feeling a bit sore, but different than the usual sore, sort of heavy. I'm hoping its the muscles GROWING from the increased reps/sets....?

That's the news, and I am outta here...

Day 83: 1 week-to-go musings

Starting to get a little emotional...or maybe its just the gas.

Clarification from yesterday's post: Planks are NEVER easy, no matter how many sets of how long duration, the question should have been just which do you prefer, not which is easier...its more mind over plank than anything.

Totally agree with Mikhael about the psychological effect of an odd number of sets, that once you are over the middle set it feels like you're cranking them out faster.

My left shoulder is starting to bother me, especially on the pull-downs today. Hopefully tomorrow's rest day will sort it out.

Sit-up Pro Tip: made minor adjustments today, knees bent, feet a little higher, legs slightly extended forward, NOW I'm feeling it in my lower abs. Try this Amateur Tip: while employing the Pro Tip, after the last sit-up of the set, straighten your legs and slowly lower to the ground like the end of a leg-up. Ooooooooooooh momma, burn baby burn!

Day 82: Plank Debate

As usual, went to the gym at lunchtime, but forgot that it is closed every 5th and 20th of the month! DOH! I normally enjoy my lunchtime workouts at the gym during the week, not so much those at home on the weekends, and absolutely hate working out at night after work (though really like my 2nd set of jumping after work, as well as the first set first thing in the morning).

I guess if that is all I have to complain about, things could be a lot worse...wait a second, almost forgot, 1:45 PLANKS! AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last weekend in Yokohama, in the middle of 5x 90 second Planks, Patrick said that we would not do any more than that. I guess technically 4x 1:45 is less. Initially I thought I would prefer 1 more set of shorter duration, but in the end I think 1 less set of longer duration (and less time overall) was in fact easier.

Thoughts?

Day 80-81: Independence Indulgence

Right, so unlike my previous 2 indulgences, which were primarily focused around booze, I made an effort to really think about #3 to make it meaningful, so what could be more appropriate than doing it on Independence Day with one of Tokyo's best burgers: Union Square Tokyo (yes, related to the Union Square Cafe in NY) in Midtown. You could argue that there are better burgers in Tokyo, but UST is definitely top tier, and also very convenient to my apartment AND kid friendly....

Nothing fancy, just went with the bacon cheese burger, medium rare, and fries. I'm not going to play any silly word/mind games: it was AWESOME.

For dessert I shared a little carrot cake thingy with orange sorbet, and a cappuccino. Very yummy, especially the sorbet which was bursting with flavor.

I will say that I felt very full afterward, and since we are all like brothers and sisters now I am comfortable telling you that it all plowed right thru me and moved the mail, almost instantly, but that in and of itself did not make it any less enjoyable.

On a more cerebral level, it was apropos that this indulgence was on Independence Day. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, I did not feel like I really needed it, or that I had been missing such guilty pleasures. One of the people I was with ordered a massive chef's salad, with grilled chicken and shrimp and loaded with all shapes and sizes of colorful veggies, and I found myself oggling at it, thinking how delicious AND healthy it looked.

Fast forward to PCP dinner, the same stir fried veggies and chicken we have almost every night, seasoned with ginger, garlic, black pepper and cayenne pepper (and the wife's secret, the juice collected from steaming the chicken used as a based for the stir fry) over grain pasta. Both the wife and I have recently admitted that we actually, truly enjoy it, even though you might call it bland, the natural flavors are quite nice. She also admitted that she recently was making some instant ramen noodles, using the packet of sauce it comes with, that she has been using for her entire life, and that now it seems really really salty, to the point where she won't be eating the sauce any more (she will make her own).

So we seem to have broken free from the societal norms, and the future looks bright for our house and our lives to be PCP-friendly, to infinity and beyond!

Workout: doing the Shoulder Fly, I rolled my sleeves all the way up, and it was amazing to see the definition of the seemingly 3 or 4 different muscles and the veins all working together. Pretty cool...

Remember, Freedom is not free...

Day 79: PCP Lash of Honor

Had to dig into the archives and bring this one back, after all the talk about flagellation yesterday:

Wed 05-May Days 19-21

-WARNING: if you are doing your rowing on the outside of the sliding glass door (after someone kindly locked it in place for you on the inside) and you have a mischievous 3 year old niece lurking about, make sure to release the bands before she unlocks and opens the door, or else SLAP! Fortunately my arms were straight out and not at full row, but still left a mark (BUT nothing close to Maren's finger...).

Now, on to the stats. Excellent progress this week, especially considering it was a short week (5 days). Check it out:

-Weight: virtually unchanged this week, no biggie. Down 6.3kg overall.

-Body fat: down 1.7%, biggest 1 week drop since Weeks 2-3, I'm chalking it up to the 2-a-day jumping. Down 9.0% overall.

-Visceral fat: unchanged @ 6%, stay the course, target is 5.5%.

-Muscle mass: up 0.9%, biggest 1 week gain since Weeks 2-3. Due to the new/secret pre-workout snack. Patrick said probably the most I could have gained without using steroids. Nice.

-Subcutaneous fat: down 0.9%, biggest 1 week drop since Weeks 2-3, target below 10%.

Workout: 5x 90 second Planks, briefly tried the Pro Tip (raising/bending one leg at a time)...very briefly. Meanwhile, Patrick was doing what I am calling the Plank on Crack: raising/bending one leg at a time, then no hands (forehead on the ground), then no legs (all his weight forward on his elbows, lifted his legs up vertical, actually can't think how that is physically possible now). Then he says "that's nothing, you should see the Kung-fu Planks". Uh, I'll pass...

Day 78: Devo

-The PCP gods are cruel. After complaining the other day that the marks had faded, this morning jumping I helped myself to a fresh, new, hearty flagellation, check it out. Ooooooh yeah, hard core!

-After failing it out on the Resistence V-sits last weekend in Yokohama, the first set today went very smoothly, so I tried the Pro Tip for the 2nd set (each V-sit in 2 steps, partial lift, pause, finish). Good Lord. Back to the missionary position for sets 3-5, and they weren't pretty...

-We've talked about this before (I love talking about it), but MAN am I gassy! More than before, though not sure why, my diet has not changed. Maybe its because my pants are too loose, and I'm wearing my belt too tight...?

-Back to Brett's post from the other day, tonight went to a football game at the Tokyo Dome, pickins were mighty slim, ended up with chicken wings (pealed off the skin). No carbs, no veggies, and skipped my evening jumping (morning jumping and workout all done). I will repent tomorrow in Yokohama...

Welcome Newbies! Team SEXAAAAY, how does it feel to be the wiley veterans?

Day 77: My favorite subject

Jumping is so frustrating, great sets one day, sloppy messy sets the next. I'm always whipping myself with the rope (its actually not even a rope, its hard plastic), in the shins, hands and forearms, but the other day it actually left a mark, it looked like I just had a run-in with Jack Bauer, or a Singaporean prison guard (very upset I didn't take a picture, its pretty much faded by now).

Not much else to report on this day of rest, just strategerizing about Indulgence #3....

Day 76: Sorry, got a little ahead of myself, NOW only 2 weeks to go...

-Managed the Pro Tip today (raise legs for sit-ups), didn't reeeeeally feel it in my lower abs but failed out the sit-ups nonetheless, wow burn...

-Mixed it up and did ski jumpers before elevated tricep dips since the bands were already set up, damn I came dangerously close to losing it on the tricep dips, would have been ugly...

-Day 2 of 2-a-day jumping, no sweat (actually a lot of sweat)....

That's the news, and I am outta here...

Day 75: 2 weeks left! Wow how time flies...

-"Day 75 Pro Tip: To add even more challenge to the Plank, bend your knee and raise one foot. Switch legs on the next set." That's hilarious...

-started doing an extra session of jumprope after work (in addition to the usual session before work) to kill that pesky visceral fat.

-it has officially become summer in Tokyo, oppressive heat, stifling humidity...even after taking a COLD shower after jumping, I'm drenched 1 minute after I step foot outside on the way to the subway.

That's all she wrote for today....

Day 73-74: Weekend Stuff

-followed up with the University of Hawaii football player/gym trainer that gained 20 pounds for the NFL combine. His program was over 2 1/2 months long, and when asked he said there was no way he could gain a "healthy" 20 pounds in that amount of time.

-jumprope: played golf early Sat morning so didn't have time to jump in the morning. Jumped after golf, and after eating my 50g pre-workout carbs, it was a mess. So many trips, thinking my legs were exhausted from walking the course in the blazing sun, and had a cramp from eating so soon before. This morning crushed my jumping, 2 out of 3 6 minute sets went over 800 jumps (first time over 800).

-Workout in Yokohama on Sun, planned on teaming up with returning dignitary Todd but schedules did not permit, oh well. Will try to coordinate a rendezvous before he leaves...

-Resistance V-sits: Patrick asked "how hard do you want to work today?", I said "BRING IT", so for the V-sits he kneeled next to me and leaned his forearms on my chest and thighs, each rep applying a little more weight so that each set was to failure, and sets got progressively harder, so 1st set did over 20 reps, 5th set did 8 or 9. BOO YA!!!

-Sneak preview of what's to come: Super Sets. Buckle your seat belts!

-Stats: good week, lost 1/2kg, body fat up 0.4% but transfer from visceral fat, down to 6%, which is goooood, target 5.5%. Muscle mass down slightly, not a huge concern but need to make sure to eat my pre-workout carbs to avoid burning muscle.

Day 72: Cramming for the final exam

It kind of hit me today: holy crapola, we have less than 3 weeks to go and I'm nowhere near the Peak! I know there is no short cut, so really need to kick it into high gear to get rid of those last pesky remnants of visceral...

Standing Ovations to failure: actually felt like my shoulders were failing before my chest, might need to fine tune my form.

Really good bicep workout, but also would like to fine tune my form on the one-armed curl, I feel like I'm leaning and supporting my arm with my body, in part due to the angle of the bands.

Elevated push-ups: after the first set I can't do more than 5 or 6 properly, though still get good burn finishing out the sets on my knees.

Fruit tip: grapefruit is the #1 fat-burning fruit (apples are also way up there).

Day 71: Failure

Our first sets with no reps, just to failure, Da Vincis, BRING IT!

Inspired by Jenny's dirty little secret, dug in for the serious burn today, felt gooooood....

Going to another baseball game tonight, beautiful night for it, unfortunately there will be no chu-hi indulgence...

Day 70: Rest

Need some, its after midnight, but have to keep checking the USA-Algeria score (stoopid Japanese TV only showing the England-Slovenia game)...

Day 69, DUDE!

Been waiting a long time for that one...

Tried jumping rope with my eyes closed this morning (Maren's suggestion), scary, don't think it works for me...

Its official, all of my pants now require belts. Mind you, I was in the anti-Peak condition prior to PCP, so I was busting out of many of my previously perfectly fitting 32 waists...

Day 68: Tremors

As commented on Brett's blog earlier today, by the end of the 3rd and 4th sets of 90 second planks, my entire body was shaking. As Patrick mentioned, need to make sure your body is not sagging, supported by hanging off of your shoulders rather than your abs keeping you straight. At the end of the 4th set, as sort of a sprint to the finish, I tried to round my back. Holy crap, I thought I was going to explode into pieces. And I was sweating like crazy....Another thing Patrick mentioned before, not for plank in particular but in general, with each set I did I kept saying to myself "OK, just get through this one more set", I think it helped not looking ahead...

Really good chest and bicep burn today too....

Day 67: Skewers

Last night went to a BBQ, I brought corn on the cob and some kick-ass veggies skewers (very upset I did not take a picture, they were beautiful): red/yellow/orange peppers, asparagus, eggplant, onions, mushrooms. The host assured me that the chicken, fish and lamb chops (Patrick, where does lamb rank on the lean meat scale?) were all PCP-friendly (no butter, no salt, very natural and healthy sauces/spices), I stuck to perrier instead of wine (which apparently was reeeaallly good) and for dessert cherries instead of chou cream (sort of a Japanese cream puff). Rationed the chicken/fish as best I could to stay close to the protein allocation, and gorged myself w/ veggies, was actually very full and satisfied. (Breakfast this morning was leftover chicken and veggies from the BBQ and a hard boiled egg on a whole wheat bagel.)

So it got me thinking about Patrick's recent blog post about Deflators. I have been lucky enough to not come across any during my PCP (so far). Aside from the occasional "no booze? no way!", the most negative reaction I have had was that people said THEY did not have the discipline or motivation to do it themselves, but wished me luck. At the other end of the spectrum, I have had the good fortune of support from a variety of INflators, people that not only wish me luck, but join me in NOT drinking (for a night, at least), and not putting pressure on me to eat just 1 slice of pizza or have just 1 beer (really, how can that hurt?). My biggest Inflator has been my wife, who, as mentioned before, prepares most of my meals while taking care of our now 5 month old baby. In addition, she has joined me in eating more PCP-friendly meals, which is obviously as good for her as it is for me.

So the moral to my Sunday night reflections: while battling the Deflators, make sure to appreciate the Inflators...

Day 66: Tricked-out pull-ups

Obi-wan dropped the knowledge on this one a few weeks ago, but this was the first time I was able to try it out at home (a bit reluctant to try this one at the gym). Jerry-rig the resistance band to the pull-up bar as pictured to the right. While hanging from the bar, put your knees together at the bottom of the band (as if you are kneeling on the band). Doing your pull-ups as usual, you now have some support from the band, as well as a little bounce action to help on the way back up. According to Obi-wan, this way, which allows a more full pull-up (even if just a little and with some help), is better than a lessor pull-up, or a negative, or an inclined pull-up. But be warned: getting into the position is difficult, especially if you do not have someone helping, and getting out, if not done carefully, might result in the band whipping up in your face (uh, yeah, it happened). Good luck, God speed.

Day 65: Kicking it up a notch

Let me just get this out of the way: 90 SECOND PLANKS, R U FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!?!?!!?

OK, feel much better now...

Cut straight to the abs, 2 innovations today:

Leg-ups: alternating sets, 1 regular, 1 on an elevated surface (like a bench), waist at the edge so on the way down your legs go below parallel, hold on with your hands above/behind your head for stability. Be the burn...

Planks: alternating sets, 1 regular (did I mention 90 FREAKIN' SECONDS?!), 1 with the stopwatch under your face, watching the seconds tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...brutal. Apparently its some Jedi-voodoo-magic to get you thinking about the exercise in a different way, mind over plank, whatever, I call it torture...

Stats: looking good this week, firing on all cylinders.

-Weight: down 0.7kg (total -5.7kg from Day 1)

-Body fat: down 1.2% (-7.7%)

-Visceral fat: flat (-2%)

-Muscle: up 0.5% (+3.1%)

-Subcutaneous fat: down 0.8% (-4.8%)

Day 64: Disco Inferno

Burn baby burn. Legs, shoulders, abs, great all-around workout today.

The first set of V-sits were really smooth (dare I say easy), thinking I must be getting STRONG, then slapped back to reality, sets 3-5 were the usual mess, but a good mess...

Day 63: Rest

Jumped the allotted 5x5 and only did 1 extra set of 4 minutes, really slacking off...

Talking to a trainer at the gym, a large Hawaiian dude that played for the Rainbows in the 2007/08 Sugar Bowl (in which they got thrashed by Georgia), who now plays "professional" football in the Japanese corporate league, daylighting at the gym during the week. Told him about PCP, and he told me about when he was training for the NFL combine, he was on a "similar" program, though much shorter than 90 days, in which he put on 20 pounds of muscle!!!! Wow...in their program they also got an indulgence, which he called a "cheat", basically a monster pizza pigout (sounds like their cheat was not nearly as structured as our indulgence).

Day 62: Proof-reading

Not much to report today. Noticed (as did Mickael) that the picture and label for sit-ups did not match the instructions (which were probably for side sit-ups). Per Patrick's previous instructions, went w/ the picture, regular sit-ups, 4x 28, 10 seconds in between sets...

For lunch and dinner I'm eating AMAYW veggies, and I'm eating a TON. I assume that AMAYW means it can never be too much....?

Day 61: Hair

Not sure if this is a common side effect of the PCP, but my hair seems to be getting thicker. I have always had relatively thick hair, and I am past due for a haircut. I have also stopped using gel after showering at the gym at lunchtime, so I get a bit of Monchichi action going (much to the amusement of my colleagues and chagrin of my wife).

Workout

Chest: mad burn, felt gooood.

Bicycle: my legs are getting tired before my abs so not doing full proper round cycling, more like alternate kicking straight in and out (and not exactly straight out, but angling down toward the floor). still feeling the burn though.

Plank: to quote Jason Fishelberg after reading the Day 61 exercise sheet: "five f*cking sets?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!" BUT, as per a previous post, I think concentrating on and counting deep breaths during the Plank helps get thru it.

Temptation

Long story short, was at a friend's birthday party Sat night (magic bar, waiters walk around doing magic at the tables, was a blast). I had eaten at home, so should not have been hungry, but there were pizzas and french fries flying all around me. At first it was really really difficult to resist, but ordered veggies sticks instead and suddenly had a moment of enlightenment: most times in a social setting we only eat because its there, not because we are hungry. Felt great with my veggie sticks and Perrier, not just my body but my mind...

Day 60: 2/3!

WOO HOO!

That just about says it all for today...

Day 59: Peaking down into the Valley

No, I'm not in the Valley, but I'm at the edge, sneaking a peak, and you know what I see? THE PLANK, with no stopwatch!!!!!

During the week I actually enjoy the workouts: jumping rope first thing in the morning wakes me up and gives me an energy boost, and the rest of the workout at lunchtime breaks up an otherwise monotonous day working for the man. On the weekends I think I have been getting a sniff of the Valley recently, at times dreading and fretting over when I will have time squeeze in the workout, but I always find time and get thru it and feel great afterward.

Beating the Plank: today I tried a new technique. I concentrated on my breathing, counting (of course) the deep breaths in and out, and I think it actually worked...will see if it is sustainable...

Day 58: Weird Stats

Back to Yokohama after only 5 days since my last visit, and some of the stats turning up a bit weird:

-lost 1kg in 5 days (more on that later).

-body fat and subcutaneous fat UP but visceral DOWN, which is good since visceral is harder to lose.

-muscle mass down but no biggie since weight is down and fat is shifting.

Over all the fat and muscle movements do not add up to 1kg of weight loss, so Patrick asked me if I was thirsty, and since he mentioned it, I was parched, and thus the answer: I was slightly dehydrated, so some of that 1kg was just water weight. No biggie, just need to make sure to drink when I'm thirsty.

Workout: no real revelations, just remember if the exercises are too easy and you're not feeling it, then you're not doing them properly.

Day 57: Skeletor

Just another day on the PCP, nothing monumental to report. Except that people are starting to comment that my face is looking skinny. I knew it was only a matter of time. Background: I did a shock-and-awe colonic cleansing in Thailand, in 1 week I lost 6-7kg, most of which I didn't really need to lose in the first place. Came back feeling great but looking like either a cancer patient or a concentration camp survivor (depending on who you ask). Mentioned this to Patrick in the beginning, don't think there is any way around it, that's just the way my body is built...

Day 56: "Rest"

"Rest" Day, as usual did my jumprope at the gym instead of at home in the elevator hall. Once again to prove my floor vs. compact carpet theory, I did a warm-up 3 minute set and banged out over 450, when all week I was stuck in the 300-350 range at home (except when I maxed out at 462 in Yokohama). Then did my 4x 4 minute sets, maxed out at 590. Just for kicks I finished with an extra/casual 4 minute set, to see how many I could do in a row without tripping, blew thru 4 minutes (count at 550), ended up beating my previous personal best 1492 and stopped of my own free will at 1501, symbolic since that was the max we did when counting (I know, I'm still counting, I'm obsessed). My feet were almost numb but otherwise felt really good after...

Yes, raisin wheat bread is AWESOME, but note the disclaimer: ALL dried fruits are chock full o sugar, thus not recommended. But a few raisins scattered throughout a few slices of wheat bread is not going to kill me, especially if its for breakfast (vs. having a bowl of raisins for the evening fruit snack, that would be bad, mmmmkay?).

Day 55: Smell the glove

-Need to get workout gloves, getting some wicked calluses (does that spelling look weird to you? does to me, but its right) as a result of the pullups and kung-fu situps.

-I'm sure this is a good thing, every morning I wake up very hungry, and thoroughly enjoy breakfast (most days it is the chicken or shrimp, hard boiled egg, assorted steamed veggies and either tomato or avocado triple decker on raisin wheat bread). Pre-PCP I was only eating an apple or a banana for breakfast, and sometimes I would just skip it altogether...

-Aside from frustration jumping rope on the compact carpet in the elevator hall in my apartment building (can't wait to jump at the gym tomorrow, then again on Fri in Yokohama), I'm feeling really good....waiting to slip into the valley. Obi-wan says Days 50-65 are critical, so almost 1/2-way thru!

Royce: could not copy the pic on your blog post, so here it is, the Mr. Clean Inclined Pullup:

Day 54: Miscellaneous

Jumprope: after breaking my 3 minute set record in Yokohama yesterday (462), back to reality today, 300-350 each, very sloppy.

Creep: almost puked and collapsed, so that was good.

Shoulders: really good burn.

V-sit: when these are the first ab exercise, the first 1-2 sets pretty clean, then the wheels come off. When they are 2nd, they are a mess straight out of the gate.

Kung-fu sit-ups: did a few at home just for kicks, getting more comfortable.

Homework: submitted.

Hard boiled eggs: new technique working well: soak eggs so they are the same temp as the cold water, then brink water to a boil, once boiling remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes, then run under cold water until not hot anymore. A few days old is better...

Day 53: Learned a lot of things

Back to the Mother Ship after a week hiatus. Gained 0.4kg over the past 2 weeks, but body fat down 2.5% and muscle mass up 1.2%. In total I have lost 4kg but have lost 6kg of fat and gained around 1kg of muscle (not sure where the other 1kg went, will find it eventually). Good stuff.

Stuff to learn:

-Following up on the Chu-Hi, for those that did not see Todd's comment (thanks Todd). Shochu is distilled barley, potatoes or rice, not to be confused with Sake, which is rice wine. Shochu is most commonly drunk neat, on the rocks, diluted with water, fruit juice or

oolong tea, OR as a Chu Hi (from shoCHU HIghball), which is shochu mixed with fresh fruit juice and soda. In a bar or restaurant you might call it a Lemon or Grapefruit (or whatever flavor fruit juice) Sour, but it also comes in cans. Very refreshing on a hot summer day, especially at a baseball game, which brings us back to Indulgence II. If you see the picture, it is a purple color, because they were serving Lemon Chu Hi, poured out of the can into a cup, and added either grape (pictured) or apple flavored ice cubes. Wow it was good....

-milk/yogurt in the diet is to make sure we have enough fat (even "fat-free" milk has plenty of fat in it). without any fat, some stuff in the brain doesn't work and we get stoopid...

(did Day 54 workout w/ Obi-wan, will go back to Day 53 tomorrow)

-Doing the exercises with the bands uses a lot of other support muscles for balance at the same time, whereas if you do the same exercise on a machine it solely focuses on that individual muscle, which is not ideal (for example I have been doing butterflies at the gym instead of Standing Ovations w/ the bands, no more). Also the focus of the max exertion changes, on the machine there is more focus on the beginning of the movement, better for it to be at the end.

-Kung-fu sit-ups: the goal is not to bring your legs perpendicular to your torso, but to swing them all the way up so your feet touch the bar (or as close as possible).

-Standing Ovation: start high and bring your hands together low.

-Planks: you love them.

No, I did not eat this, but for a mere $10 bucks you can!

Day 52: Indulgence II

So after surviving 2 temptations (my mother's world famous banana bread, and yaki tori at my favorite micro brewery, I drank perrier and had a lot of veggies + a couple of assorted chicken selections with minimal sauce/salt), I hit Indulgence II with authority, but not before having a carb-free, super colorful lunch (shrimp, broccoli, asparagus, red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, stir fried with garlic, ginger and a little olive oil).

Went to the Swallows/Lions game at Jingu, was planning

on having yaki soba as my indulgence but started in on the

Chu Hi's and kept going, 4 Chu Hi's and 3 hours in the sun later

and I was feeling no pain! Lets see what kind of shape I am in

tomorrow for my Day 53 workout in Yokohama...

Day 51: Temptation

So my parents are visiting (not really us, but their first grandchild), and my mother, fulfilling her lifelong obligation of baking her world famous banana bread anytime she sees me, anywhere on God's green earth, managed to get thru customs packing double barreled Hawaiian Blends (my old favorite was with chocolate chips, and she has also dabbled with craisins, but ever since our wedding in Hawaii she has been making it with pineapple, very good). The timing could not have been better for Indulgence II, BUT I had already set my sights on tomorrow's Yakult Swallows/Seibu Lions game outside at Jingu, kicking back with a couple of Chu Hi's, yaki tori and yaki soba. So alas, will have to hold out until Thanksgiving for the next Banana Bread Bonanza...

Workout

Jumprope: very sloppy session this morning, lots of tripping, maxed out at 383 (3 minute set).

Pushups: continue to struggle with pushups after chest dips, but real good burn on all 3 chest exercises today.

One-arm curl: should our forearm be parallel to our body/legs or at a slight outward angle? also its a bit difficult getting full closed flex holding 2 ends of the bands in 1 hand.

Plank: good Lord, my shoulders were quivering on the first set, and had to work to keep my waist/groin from dipping to the floor.

Biceps: when working out, my right bicep is noticeably bigger than my left, though both are definitely bigger now, and the difference is probably not noticeable to the passerby, so just keep on keeping on as usual?