Workout Athlean WK Zero

The Athlean-X workout routine seems legit!

They have a lot of workout programs designed for your specific training goal.  And I’m excited to get started.

I’m starting with the AX-1 routine and then will graduate to the AX-2 routine.  If you want to learn more about the workouts they offer then visit Athlean Online.

This blog post is about my introduction to getting back into working out and getting back into shape.  I’ve taken a year off from any form of resistance training and now I’m ready to get back into the game!  (I tried coming back earlier this year, cause I was getting antsy, but I injured myself.)

I will try and post weekly updates with photos and video to update you on my journey.  I’ll include meal prep and share how the workout went for that week.  Just cataloging the journey for myself as you peek in.

You can watch a short video I made that briefly shares my reasoning for the break and how I plan to get back in shape.

Follow my health journey as I lose fat and gain muscle during this program.

5AM isn’t too early if passion drives your goals!

Current – Oct. 2016 (150 lbs.)

Previous – Oct. 2015 (Body Goal)

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Fitness Motivators

I’m changing my fitness motivators!

It’s time to change my fitness motivators in time for summer and bring heat to my workouts to lose body fat while gaining muscle and strength to crush my fitness goals.

I’m constantly changing my routines and fitness motivators.  I’ve endured many Spartan races, Tough Mudder’s and a few Half Marathons over the years and now it’s time for change.

I get bored quickly and repetition is NOT my motivator.  My boredom is not tied to just to fitness.  I’ll change from writing songs to music production, photo shoots to video editing . . . rinse and repeat!

I even change my diet and nutrition often . . . curiosity is my muse.  I have a blog draft on this subject of curiosity. Coming soon!

I ran the Spartan World Championship (15 miles of high altitude & brutal obstacles) six months ago and since then, I haven’t been working out with weights.  The main reason is due to shoulder and elbow injuries.

Since then I “trained” for the San Diego Half Marathon & Temecula Half Marathon.  But I didn’t train too much for the SD Half due to lots of air travel and a heavy workload.  I averaged 9 miles a WEEK over 14 weeks!  Can you believe it . . . I ran my best race ever with a PR time of 1:56:59.

One thing I’ve noticed while only running longer distances vs. adding fitness exercises like HITT training and weight resistance, is that I’ve gained weight.  And since I haven’t been lifting weights I have not gained muscle; I’ve gained 10 pounds of fat!  You need well-rounded training and fitness routines to see improvements in your health goals.

As a reminder, fish is my only non plant-based protein.

So what will change?

I’m going back to a 5×5 weight training routine.

I challenged myself in 2014 to gain some muscle mass while maintaining a lean physique.  And I did it!  Read about it here and see a photo.

My motivator will be physical change and not a PR or a 10 foot wall to leap over.  I have 90 days to see any change in my body’s shape . . . fat to fit!

I’ll try to write a couple of blog posts about the transformation while posting updates on my Facebook Fitness Page.

In the meantime, here is a short video I made after yesterday’s HITT training session.  Please comment if you have questions.

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Raw Food, Vegetarian Diet

I’ve decided to dive a little deeper into the vegetarian lifestyle; or should I say “plant based” lifestyle?

This is a perfect week to begin a raw food,vegetarian diet since my wife’s gone and I won’t be tempted to eat foods other than fruits and vegetables.  No being wooed by the smell of turkey pasta sauce filling the house at night.

So the idea is this, and I’ve read about it in the book Alive! by Brian Rossiter; you just eat fruits and vegetables. LOL And there is no cooking! I absolutely love this idea and I’m onboard to give it a shot. The thing is that you have to eat massive amounts of fruits and veggies to consume enough calories.  So, finding a wholesale fruit and vegetable market is a must.  But living in Southern Orange County, that should not be a problem.  There are some great vegetarian restaurants in this city too!

I’m kinda stoked about this vegetarian journey. I have no idea what to expect but I’m gonna try it for a week.

I started yesterday with my first banana and romaine salad smoothie. It wasn’t bad tasting but I should have put ice in it. Nothing like drinking warm bananas.  The recipe called for 8 to 10 bananas!!!  Haha . . . sounds crazy, huh?  I shared the raw food, vegetarian diet concept with my son and he said, “That’s ridiculous!”  And I gotta say that it does seem a bit much but I’m pumped to try it!  I only added 3 bananas to the blender and a 1/4 pound of romaine lettuce (4 ounces), which turned outto be about 6 romaine leaves.  And I added 8 oz of water. I purchased a Ninja blender! It’s so cool and it blends my food quickly. You need the right tools do get the job done, right?!

For 20 years I have not eaten beef or pork; I’ve only consumed fish and chicken. I never missed beef and pork from the day I turned my back on that food. I don’t think I’ll miss chicken either BUT I may miss seafood if I choose to go 100% with this new lifestyle. I love me some good quality sushi.

I’m not sure if I want to eliminate coffee and alcohol . . . but, this is a journey and a lifestyle change that will develop over time, if I even chose to continue to pursue a vegetarian lifestyle.  I’ve eliminated coffee and alcohol in the past and I never felt any difference in my health.  I stopped drinking coffee for a year.  And I stopped drinking alcohol for 6 months. I didn’t experience any positive or negative effects. The only effect I felt from not drinking alcohol was the passing of melancholy at a faster rate. Strange, huh?

To start, I’m thinking I’ll eat raw fruits and vegetables for two meals, breakfast and lunch, and then introduce grains and foods like lentils and tofu sausages. But eventually I’ld like to go completely raw fruits and veggies!

It’s going to be a challenging diet when I travel though. I don’t really want to bring my blender with me, but I could.  But I won’t.  LOL

I’m off to make a mango and romaine lettuce smoothie! We’re talking 3 full mangos and a 1/4 pound of lettuce Yum!

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