I like to set fitness goals for myself. In the first quarter, my goal was to run a half marathon which I did on March 31st.
Now it’s time for a new goal and in the second quarter, I’m going to focus on strength training. I’ll see how much I can increase my push-up and pull-up maximum repititions before the end of the quarter. This is part of an overall mission to get in better shape.
Finding A Balance
Strength training isn’t easy for me. Sometimes, I don’t go hard enough and then I know that the workout was a waste of time. Other times, I push too hard early in the workout and burn out fast. It’s difficult to find a balance.
However, when I do get a good workout in, it feels wonderful. I’m so exhausted that sometimes, it’s hard to lift my arms above my head and I feel like I’m going to throw up. Feeling bad is feeling good. I know I did something. Nothing great happens if you never venture from your comfort zone.
I’ve been working out with weights most of my life, but recently realized that I had been doing it wrong the entire time. It happened when I was doing push-ups and was about to stop. Then, I had this thought:
Why don’t you keep going? See if you have any more in you?
To my surprise, I did at least 5 more. It was then that I realized I hadn’t been pushing myself enough for the past 2 decades. Those 2 or 3 reps I do at the end when I’m struggling are the ones that make the difference.
I’m no expert on any of this and while my initial results are positive, I’m still figuring it out. And that’s really what this experiment is about.
What I’ve Done So Far (And The Results)
The core of my workouts consist of P90x DVDs that I bought on Craigslist. I know, I rolled my eyes too. It sounds fadish and gimmicky. However, I do like the workouts and it helps to have a guy (Tony Horton) on the screen yelling at me. I often find myself yelling back at him too. This is silly and embarrassing:
- Me: I HATE YOU $*&%ING TONY HORTON!!!
- Wife <from the kitchen downstairs>: Who are you yelling at? What the hell is going on up there? Did you hit yourself in the nuts again?
- Me: Ummmm… Nevermind.
In addition to P90x, I work in a day of squats and deadlifts. And when my legs are up for a run, I work in high-intensity interval training (45 seconds max speed running followed by 60 seconds of walking; repeat for 30 minutes). Here is what I’ve done so far:
And here are my results:
Thoughts
- Weight, Body fat% and BMI: I’m happy to see that these numbers have come down. I’m still chunky around the gut, but at least I’m headed in the right direction.
- Muscle mass: I’ve been feeling good about my workouts, but this number hasn’t budged. My method of measurement (electrical bioimpedance) isn’t super accurate, so I’m not going to jump to any conclusions or make any changes yet.
- Beer consumption: I forgot to put this one on the chart, but I’m up to 9 for the second quarter and 69 for the year.
Intensity
The hardest part of strength training is keeping up the motivation. You must really want it. If you’re not going to push hard during the workout, you’re not going to get much out of it and you’re wasting your time.
It can be difficult to stay motivated and keep the intensity levels high. A sleepless night, lack of time or stress all eat away at willpower.
So, this is a mental game. If I fail at my goal, it will be because of mental weakness.
Pictures
Perhaps the best way to demonstrate results is through pictures. Not much to see, but in the interest of transparency, here you go:
First is the front. Not much change here except my gut is a bit smaller:
Next up are the arms. Meh.
And I see the most difference here. My shoulders are bit bigger. And lopsided.
Onward!
It took me these first two weeks just to get back into strength training. I’m not sure what kind of progress happens after this, but that’s the fun of the experiment. Tune in for another update in a couple weeks!
I feel like I have all the time in the world to get in better shape now! But alas, my gender looks better when they are young. So I should really get to work on it now and save the pictures right? 😂😂 But Asians are supposed to look young until like 40, right? Maybe I can put it off later….
Looks pretty good for 2 weeks in! You’ve got 80% more time in the program to go, I’m sure the body returns will compound!
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Thanks Olivia!
P90x is awesome, it’s nothing more than old-school exercises that are proven. Just packaged in a nice way. His corny jokes get old though so I just mute it when I do it now. My favorite is the Plyometrics – I love that damn workout.
You should also try the Insanity series from the same company. They’re harder, but shorter. And you don’t need any dumbbells or anything, they’re just simple bodyweight stuff. But super-intense.
Insanity! The WoWs are into that one. I tried it a couple times, but I need to be in better shape. P90x is bad (I mean good) enough!
And the plyometrics routine is great, but holy hell, that’s a tough one.
Yes you should most definitely do insanity… it’s not going to build muscle, but you will get shredded if you stick to it and push through it. It’s rough.
Plus then you get the added bonus of more great one liners. Shaun T > Tony Horton.
I hate it, but I love it!
Nice work!
“Those 2 or 3 reps I do at the end when I’m struggling are the ones that make the difference.”
I always think of the reps before the last couple as warmup reps. 🙂
“I always think of the reps before the last couple as warmup reps.”
YES! You just put into words what I couldn’t! That’s exactly it. Most of the workout is just a setup for the small part that actually does something.
It’s really good to set some strong strength goals like you do! Good luck on reaching these goals.
I’m going to the gym three times a week (more 2.5 in average :P), but I can really see the difference!
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Thanks TPS!
If you’re not seeing results, consider changing something up! This book was an eye-opener (and keep in mind that I read fitness and diet information with deep skeptimism): https://books.google.com/books/about/Bigger_Leaner_Stronger.html?id=bq3ct-S7uvsC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false
Great progress, senor! This is what I love about early retirement – you actually have TIME to take care of yourself! I had a year after a lay off many years back where I actually went to the gym religiously and lo and behold, you see gains. Then I got a job again and even to this day it feels my 2 or 3 workouts are maintenance only.
“This is what I love about early retirement – you actually have TIME to take care of yourself!”
Yeah! Unless I get a tumor or something, I’m certain the FIRE has extended my life, maybe by decades. Losing 25 pounds takes a whole lot of stress off of the circulatory system. And I just feel better.
I’m the same with you on strength training, I either go in all guns blazing (pun intended) and then find I’m too sore to use my clutch foot when I drive or I spend so long hiding from it that I have ran out of time.
Is P90x just for dudes? I’m thinking of seeing if it would interest my other half.
Love the pictures too!
“Is P90x just for dudes?”
No! Do it! It’s a great thing to do as a couple too.
Despite knowing that it’s very important, I continue to push strength training away. I think for me is that I want to get to and maintain a certain weight, and I can only get there when I’m running. I just don’t burn enough calories otherwise, so as soon as I stop or cut back on running, I start creeping up again. The strategy I always have is that I’ll get to (or even below) my ideal weight, and then start working in strength training, but I’m always a couple of pounds away it seems.
One of these days I suppose 🙂
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I can’t argue with that! The fact that you know where you should be and take action to keep it there proves that you’ve already won most of the battle. Cardio health is the most important. It reminds me of the Ernest Rutherford quote:
Regarding exercise.
That’s a bit too extreme, but you know what I mean.
You reminded me of the Muhammad Ali quote: “I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. That is when I start counting, because then it really counts. That’s what makes you a champion.”
Also, I think it’s true that keeping the intensity high is where you’re going to get the most results, but I’d also caution against feeling like you failed if you weren’t intense. Some days it feels like it’s hard to just to show up and get it done, let alone be intense, but I think that’s a victory in itself. Over time it’s going to be way more valuable to show up consistently than it would be to hit max intensity for a few weeks and then stop.
It’s kind of like investing, right? You could invest your whole paycheck for a couple months and then give up because you’re living a deprived life, or you could consistently invest a reasonable amount for years and end up rich.
“Over time it’s going to be way more valuable to show up consistently than it would be to hit max intensity for a few weeks and then stop.”
Wise words. And nice analogy to investing.
Awesome well done! I’ve gotta get back into working out… damn job gets in the way.
I will say. Retirement looks good on you.
Stupid job!
And I have to do this workout! If the camera catches me throwing up at the Hermosa Beach Ironman, at least I’ll have a body that won’t break the lens! 🙂
sun’s out, guns out! with regard to proper intensity you might find this interesting: i was a runner in college and we had a little weight routine for runners that we fit into about a 20 minute period. it consisted of the standard exercises with just one set of 8-12 reps. the deal was that if you were able to do the 13th rep. the next workout you added weight to the bar. i always liked that concept.
pull ups are a man’s workout.
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Hey man!
Cool website and thanks for sharing important parts of your life with the world.
These strength=training goals seems legit. And how do you like the scale? I’ve been trying to find something that keeps track of weight and BMI, etc.
I’ve been doing strength training for a while. I’m be no means very strong – maybe an advanced beginner. I started out doing dumbbell-based strength training, which I definitely like. It helps keep the two sides of the body balanced.
I switched (partially) to barbell to try 5×5 training. I like barbell exercises but over 2-3 years I ended up pushing too hard (by not including 4-12 week rest/plateau phases into the training) and sustained some injuries.
Doing compound exercises really does help one get strong quickly, it’s also just easier to get injured because all the issues with form get magnified! What seems like a very linear concept (add 2.5-5 lbs a week to a lift) usually ends up being very un-linear and will probably bring up all sorts of form/body imbalances (ie your shoulders seem to be at different levels), lifestyle challenges. This applies to powerlifting, olympic lifting and CrossFit.
The general argument (among detractors) is that CrossFit increases injury risk because so many practitioners haven’t really mastered all the different compound exercises. But CrossFit could be really cool, too. Though you might make more gains spending the money on a good personal trainer, too.
Anyways, best wishes! I think if you stay healthy and train wisely, you’ll surely reach your strength goals!
“And how do you like the scale?” It is OK, but you must use a phone to see the results and their app is poor. I probably wouldn’t buy this scale again.
Thanks for all of the wisdom. I try to be really careful with the squats and deadlifts, but now I wonder if I’m pushing too hard, too fast? Maybe I’ll back it down to one day a week and increase the weight more gradually.
I also noticed the shoulder thing. My left shoulder also has been hurting (not in a good way) when I lift, so something definitely isn’t right there.
Cool – thanks for the heads up about the scale – I’m slowly in search of a BMI thingamabob for home use.
In terms of squats and deadlifts – they are great – but I personally think it’s good to err on the side of caution with form and adding weight (though I’m not an expert). There’s plenty of info about good squating and deadlifting form, and it may be worth finding an expert and paying for a few sessions.
Also, as long as you keep working out and staying injury-free, you’ll see results. From what little I can tell, most people don’t achieve reasonable strength/exercise goals because they stop working out. Most people stop working out because they lose focus/interest and/or they get injured.
In terms of the shoulder, I’d definitely (again, I’m not an expert) try dumbbells, working on proper form, not pushing it, getting a few sessions with a good trainer and maybe some massage therapy.
Proper form for shoulders is worth learning, too, because there’s a lot of different muscles, tendons and bones there, so there’s a lot of biomechanical forces at play!
What may seem linear (adding a little bit of weight) is actually much more 3-4D, much like investing.
My favorite online people/sources: Bret Contreras (check out 5 daily stretches and 21 Exercises For Injury Free Mass), Eliot Hulse, Mark Rippetoe/Art of Manliness videos and TNation.
Best wishes!
Nice work of the first 2 weeks. Not huge changes, but at least you are seeing positive changes. I need to get back into running and start another round of insanity. The insanity program always whips me back into shape. Thanks for sharing the progress.
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That’s awesome that you are working in deadlifts and squats as well, those are super important. If you can mix in a few variations of types of squats (front rack, dumbbell, etc.) then combine those with thrusters (essentially front rack squat to bar overhead) you are going to start to see your body change in ways you never thought possible. Also, I’d suggest getting a 20 or 30lb medicine ball if you don’t already have one. Make up your own workouts and do stuff like 50 wall balls and Russian twists and burpee to thruster using the ball. Like you said it is 100% about intensity. I started with the P90 stuff like you years ago and its great, but incorporating lots of other stuff is awesome as well. The other suggestion I have is look up some of the Hero workouts on a Crossfit site like Filthy Fifty or Murph, there are a bunch of them, but try ones that look interesting say every 3rd or 4th week…it is definitely okay to scale, but also okay if it takes you an hour the first time through, it gives you a baseline and humbles you at the same time. Your body can do more than you imagine!
Thanks so much for this advice. I really do appreciate it. Too bad you aren’t in the area. Are you? (Colorado)
I have branched out a little with a kettlebell (2 handed swings with 35 pounds) and dips. That’s all so far though.
One of my issues is that just doing one thing like P90x over and over gets boring, so mixing in other exercises keeps it interesting.
This may be the single most important piece of advice: “Your body can do more than you imagine!” It took me a long time to get out of my comfort zone and get closer to my limits.
Very welcome, training when we are not 25 years old anymore is definitely a challenge. I hear you on P90 getting boring, I actually still do portions of those workouts in my ever changing routine. (chest and back) and (shoulders bi’s tri’s) but even after these I’ll do a little cardio AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) to finish things off. For example 8 minutes or burpee to toes to bar, then 50 double unders. Kettle bells are great as well! It is all good stuff, I love the way I work out now vs. how I did the last 20 years, and the results are way better. Yes too bad we are not closer by (Michigan guy here), but if you are looking for different routines or exercise ideas to mix in I’m happy to give you ideas if you want to shoot me an email. I’m not a weight lift guy or a crossfit guy, but there are great elements to just about every type of program, they all work just have to make it intense. The best feeling is your whole body yelling at you!
After reading this and your other comment, I’m kinda glad you’re far away. If I worked out with you, I think I’d be puking! 🙂 I almost did today after Chest and Back. And that was with no Bonus Burpees!
I am going to shoot you an email, but let me get my thoughts together first.
Another great one right here: “The best feeling is your whole body yelling at you!”
You might want to make a short term investment for long term gains in health. Get a personal trainer or go to a workshop and make sure that you are doing weight training correctly. Doing it well gives you good health and long life, doing it wrong can give you back/knee surgery. Live the good life not the physical therapy life. This post brought to you by the third friend with knee surgery in 3 years and the cousin-in-law who isn’t allowed to lift 50lbs.
I love that you’re incorporating the P90X workouts! As we’ve talked about, I did that program in 2013 and got great results. I’ve actually been thinking of running through it again as part of a Year of the Body inspired by Anita at the Power of Thrift. And I know just what you mean about Tony. I can still hear him going back and forth between Banana & Superman way too fast. 🙂