| Werd up, yo! | Week 1 of 4, Day 1 of 28
Had a terrific weekend. So today is the wonderful "day 1". I'm very excited to start this 4 week sprint, because then the NEXT 12 weeks, well, that'll just be a cakewalk. A few random ramblings for me today:
We know that food comes packaged with enzymes. We know that cooking food destroys certain enzymes. We know that obviously this doesn't render the food useless, because Americans on a diet of mainly cooked foods still get obese, and this requires some ingestion. What I'm curious about is utilization. I have a theory that has no scientific foundation whatsoever (unfortunately, I cannot find studies that examined this particular notion) but I'm looking forward to learning more about. I think on the cooked diet, we ingest a lower percentage of vital nutrients. This is not to say we should all become raw foodists and avoid cooked foods ... Jesus ate bread and fish, that's good enough for me. However, I'm willing to bet that if you increase your percentage of raw foods, you might find that you are utilizing more of the nutrients. This is why I think one a diet with a lot of raw fruits and vegetables in addition to meats and some cooked foods, that protein requirements are LESS than the standard "meat at every meal" diet. That's my opinion ... when you eat 3000 calories of cooked protein then you utilize a small percent. When you eat 1200 calories of raw foods then you utilize a much higher percentage. Interesting thoughts.
This weekend my wife had a book show and my son was at a friends house, so it was just my little angel and I. We went to mellow mushroom. YUM! Can you say "jerk chicken on romain lettuce"? I love that stuff. Good food.
Yesterday we went to the mall and enjoyed some Indian food. I try to talk my coworkers into going to an Indian restaurant, but they all hate curry! HOW CAN YOU HATE CURRY? I love it. I can't get enough of Indian and Middle Eastern spices in my foods. Good stuff.
Today is day one. Here are the things I'll be looking out for during these 4 weeks:
1. I hate addictions. Coffee is one of them, so I'll be breaking my coffee addiction. I don't think coffee is negative/unhealthy, I just think being ADDICTED to it is.
2. I hate addictions. Pretzels is one of them. Again, pretzels may be a decent snack, but they're EVIL EVIL EVIL for me. I just gulp them down by the handful! NO pretzels unless I bring them, planned, ahead of time (I sometimes get these whole wheat organic ones that rock).
3. Portion sizes. I eat healthy ALL the time. However, the one thing that may get me in a bind is that, you know, overeating thing. You know you've had enough, but, oh, it just tastes so good ... just a little more .... er, NOT.
So, my green days are tied closely to the above, and my training.
Today is fun ... it's lower body and core training. It looks like this:
6 sets x 6 reps box squats
6 sets x 6 reps stiff-legged dead-lifts
12 hanging knee raises
12 hanging straight leg raises
12 full leg raises (straight leg raises, but instead of to parallel, go all the way to inverted)
12 hyperextensions
12 reverse hypers
Okay, say it with me ... as my ranger friend used to tell me all the time ... HOAH!!!!
Finally, the poem of the day. This one may be of relevance to those struggling to get healthy and stay in shape. We all seem to have this little, inner voice that talks of out of the things we know we have to get done. It's like when you're only going to have one glass of wine and you start to pour the next, and you think, that's enough wine, but then that other voice is saying, "GO ON, POUR IT ... IT'S OKAY. RELAX". Or when you want to get up and train, and you know you need to, and then that barely audible whisper says, "Stay in bed. You deserve it. Sleep." .... anyway, this is a tribute to ...
Fair Weather Friend © 1992 - 2003 Jeremy Likness.
My friend is heavy with hollow eyes,
Callused hands against my neck,
Pressing down, always.
I cannot think with you in there.
My friend visits often, never
Knocking, simply entering,
Taking, relieving me of normality.
I cannot think with you in there!
My friend does not consider form,
Nor function, nor the need
To earn a living. (My friend does not pay the bills).
Sometimes I try to think, and
Maybe, sometimes, I find that place
Where my friend cannot go.
The sky was mottled gray, the
Grass dark and wet, the
Brown tree trunks sweating where I lay,
Content.
He knows my other self:
"I will not consume until I explode,
"I will not inhale until I expire,
"I will not swallow until I entertain the notion of falling."
Always I succumb, and
My friend is smiling,
While I am not.
(I drain my head, this
Damp skull is empty now).
And there he is, waiting.
posted by Jeremy on 3/17/2003 7:10:27 AM | | Intensity | 3 Days Prior
Well, Ed pulled a fast one on me. INTENSITY he asks, what is it?
Well, through my certification, and other sources, I know that intensity is the percentage of 1 rep maximum when you lift a weight. So if your maximum 1 rep bench press is 300 pounds, then lifting 280 pounds would be 280 / 300 = 93% intensity.
Of course, considering that Body-for-LIFE(tm) is what began my journey, I could consider Bill Phillips' definition ... perceived intensity. A 10 is where you couldn't possibly have squeezed out any more, a 9 means it was a monumental effort, you thought you were going to die trying, but, lo and behold, there may have been a little bitty bit left in you, and a 1 is what most of us were in front of the television set eating chicken wings, drinking beer, and watching football before we started leading a healthy lifestyle (okay, so we might still eat the wings, drink the beer, and watch the football, but training has raised out metabolisms so it's more like a 2 on the intensity scale now).
But I know what Ed is asking. What IS intensity, REALLY.
See, I thought intensity was something that I could "muster." All I had to do was look deep within, and draw on my inner spirit, and I could pull it out and accomplish amazing things. It was a highly personal thing.
I learned this one sunny afternoon as I was jogging the loop in my old neighborhood. I came upon the slumbering beast of a hill that always bested me, turning my calves into burning thongs of flesh, forcing my heart to race like it would tear through my chest, and transforming my breathing into some ragged dialgoue of survival. I couldn't surmount that obstacle, I thought, and as I began my trek I suddenly came to the stubborn conclusion that I WOULD make it to the top without stopping. My closest friend had recently passed away due to cancer, and some thought of him being gone and not being able to experience what this was like (this was before I was saved) drove me forward (God has a sense of humor). I felt pain and my heart was pounding and there was no air but right then at that moment my life was defined by the simple fact that somehow my mind was able to will one foot in front of the next, so I said, forget the pain and those other signals, I'm going for it, and I did it. And then I realized that barrier was mental, because every time after that, the hill was almost a laughable affair - so now intensity was about stomping a hill down to the size of a speed bump and running through a brick wall.
Of course, when my daughter was born, I learned a new type of intensity. Watching her emerge, cutting the cord, looking into her eyes the first time, suddenly I felt an intensity I could not have comprehended. My workouts launched into a new level. I literally lost pounds of fat and gained a ton of strength, because now I was working for my daughter. I was going to be a healthy dad for her, a role model.
When I met Jeff Seidman in Miami, I learned yet another iteration of intensity: weight training intensity can be taught! I can't tell you how many times I was working out, straining against the weight, groaning with every fiber of my body, thinking that I was giving 110% only to terminate the set. When I brought that same level of enthusiasm to Jeff's personal training studio, he simply told me it wasn't enough. As I pushed, strained, he demanded more. WHAT? MORE? It's not there. YES IT IS. PUSH IT. And suddenly another barrier was shattered. My bench press jumped 20 pounds in one day because some mental fugue had been holding my arms at bay, and his lesson in intensity shatter the sticky threads and allowed me to explode to a new level of personal growth.
When I finally found Christ and accepted my Savior, I also finally learned intensity's truest lesson. This is MY lesson ... many people find all of the intensity they need on their own. But for me, intensity doesn't exist, it exists for a cause. I was running a hill for my friend. I was lifting a weight for my daughter. I was pushing a weight because my trainer demanded it. It was more than me ... it was about the world. I mean, seriously, what matter is it that I bench 200 or 220 or 300 ... when I'm by myself? But what if, by doing this, I can INSPIRE someone else to break through their bounds? What it excites someone, who starts the journey wanting to bench 300 ... but finishes it by realizing they unlocked some hidden potential that pervades their entire life? I know that I didn't make my breakthrough possible, Christ did. I performed some actions, ate some foods, moved some weights, but the glory goes to God.
So you ask about intensity. I think we ALL have intensity, it's just ... where is it? Are you intensely feeling sorry for yourself? Are you intensely hating the world for some injustice you feel it directed your way? Are you intensely enjoying life? Are you intensely praising Christ? Are you intensely training?
See, it's there, all around you, and, yes, even WITHIN you. But intensity has to MEAN something. So when you step up to that barbell or flip on that treadmill and listen to its impassionate chirp as it readily awaits your first timid step, you have to know WHY you are doing it. WHO are you, and WHY are doing it? If it matters ... if your health matters, if the ability to inspire matters, if the simple act of making a breakthrough TODAY that you can celebrate tomorrow matters, then TAKE IT and BUILD YOUR INTENSITY. Leave that workout KNOWING you had not an ounce left. When it gets tough, decide right then and there ... are you going to do what you ALWAYS do, and just give up, or are you going to TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL and prove that it is not muscle and fiber and bones ... it is your SPIRIT welling up inside and exploding, that you are HUMAN and can CREATE just as your CREATOR did .. you can CREATE your positive experience, your intensity, and overcome those barriers. Believe me, when you get that intensity, watch out. Because it won't just be your bench press going up ... it'll be your mood, your career, you life.
Heck, look at me ... through my intensity, I was lifted to Christ. How can it get better than that?
Peace.
Jeremy.
posted by Jeremy on 3/14/2003 11:01:36 AM | | Drooping chest muscles and grape leaves | 3 Days Prior cont...
Last night was german volume training. I was excited to do 10 sets of 10 reps at around 120, until I pulled up a spreadsheet from a few years back and realized I was doing GVT at 170 pounds then. Guess I have drooping chest muscles! LOL. It's amazing how quickly the strength comes back, but I definitely have some catching up to do. It's an exciting journey. I have a game plan.
1. Wrap up this arm program
2. 12-week leaning program
3. Start my first ever strength-based cycle
I've ALWAYS trained for muscle size. This means I've been able to put inches on my arms, chest, and legs, without necessarily gaining proportionate strength. Anyone who has seen my older photos or met me knows that I have massive quadriceps, and should be able to squat at least 400 pounds, but right now I'm comfortable with 200 and change! It's a simple fact of not having trained that muscle for strength, but rather continuously changing exercises, joint angles, tempo, etc in order to induce size.
Well, now that I'm more focused on health, it's time to stop obsessing over whether or not my biceps will obscure the few out of the driver's side window while I'm driving and focus more on strength and flexibility. Why? Mass looks good, but it doesn't protect you from injury, falls, or necessarily contribute to your health, unless you believe that having a faster metabolism is healthier. TRAINING that muscle to be strong, efficient, and protect your joint, protect against falls, etc --- now that is healthy. Okay, okay, okay, okay, I admit it. I want to be humble .... but it'd be cool to say I bench 300. Well, I could say that now. "I bench 300." But then I'd by lying. Of course, if I do reach 300 and then say, "I bench 300" I wouldn't be lying, but I'd be bragging. Oh, to heck with it. I'm gonna practice yoga and become a contortionist and tour the country with raving band of lunatics. Anyone care to join me?
Back to reality. My son was out shooting hoops (He's a "ballah") so my wife, daughter, and I went to our favorite restaurant - a little middle eastern place called Cedar's. We started with the seasoned breadsticks dipped in a sauce of vinegar, lemon, and some type of herb. My dinner was rice wrapped in grape leaves, pita dipped in hummus, and makdous (eggplant stuffed with walnuts). Can you say ... YUM!
Today I have my big bowl of fruit for breakfast, my next meal is with a good friend at Mellow Mushroom (can you say "Jerk Chicken on a Cesar Salad, no croutons, no cheese, no dressing. Er, sorry, let's make this a little easier. Please dump a load of jerk chicken on top of some romaine lettuce. Yes, thank you.") and there's some black bean soup. I forgot to tell you about my sprouts. I have a bag of mung beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), snow peas, etc that I soak and put in a mug and rinse 3 times per day over 2 - 3 days and they sprout and are just an incredible, natural, raw source of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbs. My daughter LOVES them ... in fact, she asked me to make them again (in my opinion, they're rather, ah, earthy, but I acquired a taste for beer so I may come to enjoy these). She just grabs them by the handful and snacks on them, but the favorite treat of my wife and daughter is to take a whole grain pita, smear some chili pepper hummus on the inside, then stuff it with the sprouts. Hey, I even like that deal!
I skipped my homework last night because we worked out so late but I will be catching up this evening. Can't think of much more. I will share another poem of the day (hey, this is turning out to be a daily thing, after all!)
Come and Go © 1992 - 2003 Jeremy Likness
to a copse in south dakota
In frost the voices soft, they whisper
Beneath the muffled tramp of feet
That trod upon the frozen leaves
And linger in the chill air, sweet.
The sweat upon the skin of trees
Glistens beneath the moon's caress,
Sparkles beneath the changing stars,
And listens while the trees confess
Their years eternal, standing still,
Groaning in the howling wind,
Creaking while the clouds flow by
And with a subtle shimmer send
Jeweled drops of water, falling,
Splashing on the cold earth, damp,
Collecting in small puddles, while
Careless feet, though muffled, tramp.
A pause as passers-by pass on,
A pause foretells the break of dawn,
A pause and a profound silence falls,
A pause, they pass, and soon are gone.
Footprints linger in the snow,
Memorizes of a past event.
In frost the voices soft, they whisper,
And beneath the shallow footprints, bent,
Are the trampled remains of a flower,
Frozen, crushed, or both one wonders.
A flash of lightning breaks the ice,
Then memory thaws as still air thunders.
posted by Jeremy on 3/14/2003 7:12:39 AM | | Biblical Nutrition, shout outs, poetry, green jello and chaps | 4 Days Prior
Just kidding about the green jello and chaps. Got your attention, didn't it?
Here is the whole buffed family. Doreen wouldn't let me post her most recent "workout" piccies, but she'll soon have a log of her own. The middle one is my 15-yr old son's arm while he does some curls under my supervision, and the right is my little 3-yr old angel showing Daddy how she flexes. The last one is several months old at Helen, Georgia where we have a little cabin.
Ah, they all make Daddy so happy!
Well, the start of another great day.
Last night, I taught my Biblical Nutrition class. Some people have a very strange method for promoting their own beliefs - they take what their opinion is, twist everything else to fit it, then shoehorn their students into it. I was frankly quite tired of Christians trying to claim that the bible promotes a raw food or even vegetarian diet, yada yada, and I wanted to share healthy living with my congregation, so, the Biblical Nutrition class was born. We start with a verse in the bible, understand the context, talk about what it means, then we look at the science behind it. There's no "high protein diets are bad" or "cutting carbs is wrong" but rather, "here's what the bible says about protien, here's what science says about protein, here's the anecdotal evidence I've experienced". It's a novel concept, but let's have people think for themselves instead of forcing our own thoughts on them (hey, something I used to do quite well!). A lot of people find something that works for THEM and then assume it must work for everyone ... NOT!
I spent an hour doing my "homework" for my Sports Performance Nutritionist certificate. I've answered 53 questions, only 103 to go, but some of those are 1500 word articles, 250 short essays, interviews with athletes, you name it, so I've certainly got my work cut out for me. I enjoy it, though. It keeps me off the streets and out of trouble. I'm also fasting from TV for Lent, so this is the perfect way to use that time I normally let myself turn into a drooling vegetable for something productive like learning and teaching.
PRAISE GOD THEY FOUND ELIZABETH SMART. I never thought it was possible, that the front headline on an American news media outlet could bring tears of joy to my head. They are always so focused on politics and dread, but here was the huge smiling face of a beautiful girl that returned to her family. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but the Smart family had many "drifters" work on their house. Why? I beieve, as good Christians, when they found people who were down and out, they took compassion. But instead of ignoring someone in need, or doing what some of us are guilty of and tossing a few coins and quickly looking the other direction, they would bring these drifters and assign them work for cash. WOW ... they did put their family at risk, but they were recognizing that these are PEOPLE, children of God, and deserve a chance. Someone abused that trust, that Christian compassion, and took their child ... I remember feeling so empty just thinking about it ... but this time, for whatever reason, God chose to bring that flower home to her garden. Thank you, Lord, we know not your ways - we praise you for those who are lost, that they may come to know you, and we praise you for those who are returned, that they may testify your glory.
Ah, what the heck, this is a COMMUNITY, isn't it? Shouts ... oh, I couldn't find where we format text in here. Probably common knowledge, but my shouts won't be bolded until I learn that.
RON SPARKMAN ... still alive an kickin' it. Drop me a line about LFK ... I can't wait for the next event, keep sowing seeds, brother.
HORSEMAN ... more like TANKS! Keep pumpin' that oldschool iron. Heck, you could do a service ... anyone who complains about cardio, show up at their doorstep and threaten to trample them, horse style, and see how fast they run for 20 minutes!
EMMA ... thanks for the kind welcome
JEFF AND WENDY ... don't know your history, but I'd stick with the same progam for 12 weeks. One of the biggest hinderances for many programs is switching gears midstream. Many programs work, they work in different ways, but they work ... I'd give your current regimen a full spin, then try the Applewhite for another challenge, but that's only my humble opinion!
SUE ... good to see you still working hard as ever, my wife and I still get a laugh out of the kangaroo picture you once posted (I know, we're morbid), look forward to seeing some more inspirational triumphs from you!
ZACH ... thanks for the invite, what a great place to be! As for articles, I've got an eBook with at least 80 of them, let me know what you're interested in, feel free to post any and all!
MARIE ... heck, you know I can't put it all in words on a web page! You've earned the nickname "Mom" for taking care of us all these past several years, but it's nice to see "Mom" taking a break and doing something for HERSELF ... you keep it up, you look fantastic and with your kind soul and spirit, you WILL overcome!
DENIZ ... what an inspiration you are. You keep up the incredible work, I think your BLOG will be my homepage because that music is LOVELY.
MANY OF YOU ... have send me personal notes, all kind, all warm, all friendly, thank you thank you. I've been away from the online communities for some time now, getting my ducks in a row so to speak, its nice to be back and to see that "pay it forward" effect as healthy, happy people spread it around!
Last night's eats:
Dinner was herb roasted chicken (oh, I'm so terrible, did I even eat the dark meat?) and steamed asparagus.
Late night snack was some blue corn chips, a few organic oreo-type cookies (but made with whole grains, yada yada) and a smidgeon of soy ice cream.
Today's eats, that I know so far:
1/2 cup oatmeal with 1 tsp raw sugar (Sucanat)
1 cup organic lentils and couscous soup
1 orange, 1/2 cup raw mixed nuts, 1 sweet pepper, 1 carrot
I'll post the evening eats tomorrow!
POEM OF THE DAY ... well, I have a copyrighted work called "Portrait of an Emotionfall" with tons of poems, but I haven't done anything with it, so I'll post a few here and there, we'll call it poem of the day even if it doesn't happen every day.
Drinking Coffee in a Dead Café (c) 1992-2003 Jeremy Likness
"written in a dry city in spain"
Sitting in a forlorn room,
Forced to be a twisted gaze,
I watched the shadows drip from
(pleasure)
As the dancing figures dried.
There was an old man from downtown
Whose cane rivaled our own;
His tobacco had long grown stale
And the match was not his.
In the streets . . .
That is where the dusty memories
Revel; their drifting forms coalescing,
Forming, creating, molding
Time - the god we forgot.
He crouches, waiting
In a stone crypt, and that is life.
Where do you go when the ants are mating?
They rise from the ground
(Playthings of Ezekiel)
The air is a cloud of insects, yet
The queen will murder her love.
Where, whispering
In the boughs of deceived trees
Dies the blind man?
Nowhere.
There is only the sunlight,
The moonlight: the starlight.
Memory has served us,
And will go with us.
The war was for nothing.
GOD BLESS YOU!
posted by Jeremy on 3/13/2003 7:45:38 AM | | Oh, and an example, perhaps? | 5 Days Prior
Sorry, forgot to mention, with my nutrition, that an example would probably work. So here's today, so far ...
6:00am 8oz fresh (non-pasteurized) tangerine juice
6:30am handful of grapes, 1 orange, 1 apple, 1 pear - why? Under principles of "food combining" fruit should be consumed by itself, for the most part, and is ideal as the first meal to help with digestion (no shred of scientific evidence for this, but I've found I feel MUCH MUCH MUCH better if I start the day with fruit)
11:00am cup of organic corn chowder (potatoes, misc. veggies, corn) and handful of organic baked blue corn chips
3:00pm slice of sprouted grain bread with hummus spread and a spinach + navy bean salad
Dinner, dunno. Would like to have some jerk chicken + a field greens salad (food combining says eat yer flesh meats with veggies instead of starches)
Last meal will probably be a shredded whole wheat "cake" stuffed with walnuts and drizzled with honey
:=) Not quite your standard bodybuilding fare, eh?
posted by Jeremy on 3/12/2003 1:14:25 PM |
|
|
Question of the Day
Articles
Fitness Experts
Weight Loss Products
Exercise Guide
Weight Loss Vault
Action, Word!
Summertime Shoutouts
Wrapping Up Arms
Contact
Affiliate Program
Terms and Conditions
Help! (Getting Started)
Nutrition — Articles related to nutrition.