Giving Thanks

As we reflect on all the things we've been thankful for over the past year, I look back with a sort of fond relief, proud of what I've accomplished, but also grateful to be so close to the end. Because I've made it this far, and also because this past week was a time for family, friends, and food, I decided to reward myself (and my body) by entering a 5 day food coma.

Now, although taking a week off from exercise generally makes it that much harder to get back into your routine, I've continually endorsed the idea of giving your body breaks along the way in order to keep your joints and limbs fresh, and your mind "in the game".

So with that being said, I have no workout results to report from this past week other than getting up and down from the couch to indulge my gluttonous alter-ego with more turkey and gravy...

I'll leave you this week with a great poem written about Thanksgiving from an anonymous author:

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump,

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

L&R,
Drew

Putting on the Final Touches

As I said in an earlier post, this past week I started putting the final touches on this experiment by incorporating all of my previous workouts into three separate "Mix" days.

Those workouts are listed below:

Mix Day 1: mountain climbers, lunges, star jumps
Mix Day 2: one-leg, jumping jacks, diamond buddha
Mix Day 3: broad jumps, box jumps, pull-ups

I decided it was important to bring these exercises back into the fold by taking a page out of Tony Horton's book and "confusing" my muscles.

My results from the first full week of triple mix muscle confusing sets are listed below:

Date	Workout	Sets	Total Time	Beak Time  Per Set	Total  Burpees
11/12/2012	Mix 1	6	7 min 03 sec	30 sec	60
11/13/2012	Ladder	15	12 min 57 sec	30 sec	120
11/14/2012	Pull-ups	6	7 min 09 sec	30 sec	60
11/15/2012	REST
11/16/2012	Mix 2	6	5 min 47 sec	30 sec	60
11/17/2012	Mix 3	7	7 min 54 sec	30 sec	70
11/18/2012	REST

And this week I'll leave you with a quote from the P90X muscle confusion master himself, Tony "Don't Smash Your Face" Horton:

"If you go up and down a ladder a bunch of times, you'll get some exercise from that, but if you climb a rock wall, you're going to get a lot more. The nuances in muscle confusion is that it's multidimensional." 

L&R,
Drew

The Beginning of the End

With the end of this experiment rapidly approaching, the final month of two-adays has been thrust mercilessly upon me. And although this past week has been thoroughly brutal, there is some relief to be found in knowing the finish line draws near.

But, just as the old saying goes, we're "so close, yet still so far". I have to remember that even though I'm almost finished, this doesn't mean I can take it easy and coast in for the landing...Whether I like it or not, what lies ahead of me is 7 more weeks of pushing my body to the Burpee limit and coming out stronger because of it.

Okay...let's not get that crazy...

I'm proud to say I've made it this far, and even more proud that I was able to complete the entire week of two-adays with only a 30 second break in between each set (which was my goal from the beginning). My results from the week are listed below:

Date	Workout	Sets	Total Time (Morning)	Total Time (Night)	Beak Time Per Set	Total Burpees
11/5/2012	REST
11/6/2012	Ladder	15	13 min 00 sec	12 min 59 sec	30 sec	240
11/7/2012	Ladder	15	12 min 56 sec	12 min 51 sec	30 sec	240
11/8/2012	REST
11/9/2012	Ladder	15	12 min 55 sec	12 min 46 sec	30 sec	240
11/10/2012	Ladder	15	12 min 47 sec	12 min 58 sec	30 sec	240
11/11/2012	REST

This week I'll leave you with a quote taken from TIME Magazine said by one of baseball's greats, Frank Robinson:

"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." 

L&R,
Drew

The Winter Grind

This week was the first week of November, and to many of you, that means you're either growing out your most manly (or in some cases, womanly) mustaches... or that the ever inevitable "winter is coming".

As we move closer to those horribly, yet oh so enjoyably, lethargic holidays, I must continue to look for different approaches to attaining motivation, now more than ever. One way I've done this throughout the year  is to have a good cup of coffee every morning when I wake up. Sure, it may seem fairly unconventional to look at coffee as a good workout motivator, but based on a growing body of research, coffee can have some pretty awesome benefits.

Per WebMD, "people who drink at least one cup of coffee per day are less likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dimentia. They have also been shown to have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes." With that being said, if you haven't already, go out and buy yourself a Keurig for Christmas. You can thank me later.

This week I did my best to overcome a bout with some Fall allergies, and I've listed my results below:

Date	Workout	Sets	Total Time	Beak Time  Per Set	Total  Burpees
10/29/2012	Broad Jumps	6	6 min 24 sec	30 sec	60
10/30/2012	Ladder	15	12 min 58 sec	30 sec	120
10/31/2012	SICK
11/1/2012	SICK
11/2/2012	SICK
11/3/2012	Mix	7	8 min 46 sec	40 sec	70
11/4/2012	REST

And in the spirit of our topic, I'll leave you this week with a quote from the famous publisher, playwright, and poet, T.S. Eliot:

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons."

L&R,

Drew