Protein and Mio Flavoring Concoction

Accidentally forgot to wash out my shaker cup I use at work the other day in between water/protein rounds.  Luckily to my surprise I came up with a new concoction.  Orange flavored MIO was left in my cup when I dumped my vanilla flavored protein in.  By the time I added water and shook it up I noticed what I did by the tale tale signs of the orangish-white tinted liquid in my cup.  Figured why not try it before I toss it and start fresh.  HOLY COW! Remember as a kid the "orange dreamsicle" ice-cream treats??  Exactly what this tasted like.

Moral of the story? Don't hesitate to try new things, in food or life.

HIIT And My Thoughts

While I'm not a fan of cardio in general, Im definitely not a fan of steady pace cardio.  HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) however I can deal with since it's generally doable in a 30minute timetable.  For those not familiar with HIIT heres some background info.

HIIT is a specialized form of interval training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. Because it involves briefly pushing yourself beyond the upper end of your aerobic exercise zone, it offers you several advantages that traditional steady-state exercise (where you keep your heart rate within your aerobic zone) can’t provide:

• HIIT trains and conditions both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. You train your anaerobic system with brief, all-out efforts, like when you have to push to make it up a hill, sprint the last few hundred yards of a distance race, or run and hide from your spouse after saying the wrong thing.
• HIIT increases the amount of calories you burn during your exercise session and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover from each exercise session.
• HIIT causes metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel under a variety of conditions. This will improve your endurance as well as your fat-burning potential.
• HIIT appears to limit muscle loss that can occur with weight loss, in comparison to traditional steady-state cardio exercise of longer duration.
• To get the benefits HIIT, you need to push yourself past the upper end of your aerobic zone and allow your body to replenish your anaerobic energy system during the recovery intervals.

The key element of HIIT that makes it different from other forms of interval training is that the high intensity intervals involve maximum effort, not simply a higher heart rate. There are many different approaches to HIIT, each involving different numbers of high and low intensity intervals, different levels of intensity during the low intensity intervals, different lengths of time for each interval, and different numbers of training sessions per week. If you want to use HIIT to improve performance for a particular sport or activity, you’ll need to tailor your training program to the specific needs and demands of your activity.

General HIIT Guidelines

• HIIT is designed for people whose primary concerns are boosting overall cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and fat loss, without losing the muscle mass they already have.
• Before starting any HIIT program, you should be able to exercise for at least 20-30 minutes at 70-85% of your estimated maximum heart rate, without exhausting yourself or having problems.
• Because HIIT is physically demanding, it’s important to gradually build up your training program so that you don’t overdo it.
• Always warm up and cool down for at least five minutes before and after each HIIT session.
• Work as hard as you can during the high intensity intervals, until you feel the burning sensation in your muscles indicating that you have entered your anaerobic zone.
• Full recovery takes about four minutes for everyone, but you can shorten the recovery intervals if your high intensity intervals are also shorter and don’t completely exhaust your anaerobic energy system.
• If you experience any chest pain or breathing difficulties during your HIIT workout, cool down immediately. (Don't just stop or else blood can pool in your extremities and lightheadedness or faintness can occur.)
• If your heart rate does not drop back down to about 70% of your max during recovery intervals, you may need to shorten your work intervals and/or lengthen your recovery intervals.
• HIIT is not for beginner exercisers or people with cardiovascular problems or risk factors. If you have cardiovascular problems or risk factors should NOT attempt HIIT unless your doctor has specifically cleared you for this kind of exercise.

You might not fall into every category of the guidelines as these are what my trainer laid out for me.  Main thing is to just listen to YOUR body.

My HIIT workout on a treadmill usually goes like this.

5 minute warmup, Sprint 1 minute at 8.5-9mph, 2 minute brisk walk at 3.8 repeat 30 minutes then 5 minute cool down.  

My HIIT Speed Rope workout looks a little like this...

5 minute warmup on treadmill, 50 Double Unders (rope travels around/under feet twice before you land, usually requires jumping a lot higher than normal jump roping), rest 2 minutes, 50 double unders, rest 2 minutes, repeat for 30 minutes, 5 minute treadmill cool down.

Theres more than just these two workouts when it comes to HIIT, experiment and aim to get better.

Why I Train

I train because it's my lifestyle, Not because it's trending on Twitter.

I train to see results, Not to get likes on Facebook.

I train because bodybuilding is who I am, How I eat, The way I lift, And the choices I make.

Im not only a bodybuilder when I step in the gym, I live it 24/7.

I may not get paid for it, But yeah, It's my job.

THIS IS WHO I AM.

THIS IS MY LIFE.

Things Happen

Unless you're in hardcore prep mode for an upcoming contest your gonna slip with your eating.  I'm not talking about missing a meal here or there.  I'm talking about punishing a bag of Doritos and topping it with cake and feeling like shit afterwards.  News flash ---- You should feel like shit.  You should hate that feeling of guilt for what you did.  You should hate it so fucking much you never do it again.  All the time you put in over the past few days went right down the drain.  Guess what?  Start over.  Get right back into the clean eating routine that has given you the results.  We're not pros, we don't have to have a magazine ready body all the time.  Realize your human and these things happen.  

Now get back to lifting!! 

Sunday Cardio

The past few cardio only days I've decided to switch it up from my normal HIIT interval and do some handsfree incline walking and mix in some speed rope.  I aim to take only short breaks as needed.  Since I'm not the best jump roper in the world, the few restarts give me a slight chance to catch my breath.  Any how, here's what I did today.


45 minute circuit
Treadmill 12% incline. Speed of 3.0 mph. 5 minutes.
Speed rope for 3 minutes.
Treadmill 12% incline. Speed of 3.0 mph. 5 minutes.
Speed rope for 3 minutes.
1 minute rest.


Keep repeating untill time is up.  I leave the treadmill going and use the time on the treadmill for my stop watch.  If you feel the need to hold on, reduce incline to 10%.  Speed should be low enough so that should not be the reason to grab hold.  


Train Hard.

Cardio Outlook

Usually I debate for at least 20 minutes every Saturday evening on whether or not I'm gonna get up early Sunday to do cardio.  Then I debate another 10 minutes in bed Sunday morning when my alarm goes off. Lets face it, the majority of us HATE cardio.  Whether it be the boredom on being stationary on a machine at the gym, allergies from pollen this time of year out side, we just hate it.  


I personally have never been a runner.  Sure I ran in the Army but I hated every minute of it.  From off-road to track, I want no part of it.  The thought of spending 30-45 minutes running on a treadmill to me, is living hell.  Elliptical, ehhhh, I personally dont like it either.  Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just would rather not.  Step-mill however is where I'm at home. 


Something about seeing the step-mills at my local Golds Gym get neglected drove me to these machines.  I dont fly up the steps and hold on for dear life like some of the ladies in the morning.  Granted their in great shape, there is just no reason to run at level 20 while gripping the rails with everything you got.
I rather set the speed at 5-7 out of 20.  I stay near the bottom of the machine and never hold on.  If you start holding on, you'll start holding your bodyweight off the track.  This defeats the purpose of pulling your own weight.  Anyone can spin their legs with no resistance, but pulling your self up every step is where we separate winners and losers.  
A good 30-45 minutes is what you should aim for.  I never do less than 30.  If you dont have time for 30 minutes, go do sprints.  


I also get bored fast.  I can't do the same old routine over and over when it comes to cardio.  This is a benefit to me though as my body will not get use to the same machine and muscle confusion can continue to take place.  Switching up your routine is something you should aim to do every few weeks so the body doesn't get use to what you put it through.  

Background On Me

Gotta be upfront with everyone.  I have a great life, really always have.  Grew up and got paid to travel the states with the Government test driving prototype tanks for the military.  Every weekend I could always be found in the bars with friends taking shots to the head.  I mean honestly what kid doesn't take part in that?  Bounced in and out of gyms without really any direction.  Blew out my ankle right as I was getting serious about my diet and training.  Once my ankle healed I never went back.  Put on 60 pounds and sky rocketed to 275-280.  Mind you I'm 6'3, 6'4" first thing in the morning so I wasn't a disgusting slob, just big for my age.  

January 16, 2011 I made the decision to turn my life around and get in tip top shape.  Sure I wanted the giant muscles, 6 pack abs, boulder shoulders and quadzillas.  Reality hit and I realized I started way to late in the game as I was 28 when I made this decision.  My love for fitness and healthy lifestyle however doesn't care about age.  Follow along as I drop knowledge on lifting, eating, daily life trails and tribulations and cooking.  Feel free to comment or contact me at anytime as well! Thanks for reading!