Day 15 : Oh man!

Tough workout today ... Marcy went with me.  It was nice to have her there with me.  Did 10 mins straight of:

150m Row Machine
10x Ring Rows
10x Hip Extensions

It was hell and my feet are EXTREMELY sore.  I don't think I'm going to be able to make it tomorrow but will be doing Saturday in the AM.  Marcy's first class is Monday!  I can't wait for her to get started.

Good night all.

Day 14 : Ouchie and w00t!

I am exhausted tonight ... and my body is really starting to feel it.  After my workout tonight I have had a muscle cramp (aka charlie horse) in my back and the inside of my right leg!  Man that hurt ... and wouldn't subside!  I am wicked sore ...  but really it feels soooo good.  My strength is really starting to build.

As of tonight I've officially lost 10 pounds!  It feels sooo good!  Also, Marcy is officially starting next Monday!  I think she's really going to rock the show.  I can't wait!

Day 13 : I missed it ...

I really can't wait to start normal workouts.  Only doing M - Th and then taking 3 off sucks!  I just want to keep going!  This is my last week of fundamentals ... and then I'm going to do Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat.

Today I did the following:

5 RFT:
5x 135# DL
10x Pushups (Knees)

6:19 ... Not too shabby from literally not being able to do 1 pushup around 4 weeks ago.

Day 10, 11 and 12 : Late Update

Well, my neck hasn't healed yet ... from what Doc says I had a muscle spasm in my Trapezius Muscle that has either not gone completely away or I've strained it badly.

Day 10 ... I went to the gym despite my issues and I had an awesome workout.  The strain doesn't seem to affect my strength or agility.  Casey J pushed me to my end point.

Day 11 ... I didn't make it to the gym.  My level of pain was an 8 / 10.  I used heat / ice all day with no luck.  I got a deep tissue / sports massage instead of going to the gym which did nothing, it may have made it worse.  While doing some last second Christmas shopping I picked up a HomeTrends Shitatsu Neck Massager w/ Heat.  That has made a WORLD of difference.  This neck / shoulder issue was really depressing me because I've made sooo much progress.  I don't want to stop!

Day 12 ... I attended my first actual CrossFit class out of the fundamentals.  They scaled down the workout substantially but it was still the hardest workout I've done to this point.  Doc said the worst thing I can do it nothing ... that I should work out the muscle safely.  It felt worlds better after the workout.  With heat, the neck massager and Aleve I've successfully gotten my pain level down to a 5 / 10 which is tolerable. I hope it continues to get better like this.

My next class is Monday Night.  Can't wait!

CRAP!

I've had off and on trouble with my right shoulder / neck.  It feels like a muscle strain I just can't touch.  It's back and it's killing me at this very moment.  I hope this corrects itself soon or this can REALLY hurt my CrossFit training.

Day 9 : Hmmmm ...

Well this weekend was bad when it came to diet.  Being a birthday weekend I ate pretty much anything I wanted ... and I REALLY felt it.  Eating properly really makes a huge difference when it comes to performance.

Def going to focus on eating properly at least until Christmas.  :-)

2 Week Update

Just after 2 weeks I've noticed the following:
- Clothes are already starting to fit better.
- Overall I feel MUCH stronger.
- A watch I couldn't wear anymore from being too fat actually fits and even rotates on my wrist freely.
- Walking up stairs is much easier ... which is very good because we have stairs in the new house.
- Playing with the kids is easier ... throwing them around and such.
- I can get up in the morning @ 5AM ... work, come home, eat dinner, workout for an hour, come back home and still have energy enough to keep going.

This is after only 2 weeks ... I can't wait to see what 4 weeks will bring.

Joe's 30 Workout Update

Well I did my Joe's 30 about 15 mins ago.  I am tired!  Other then Natalie laughing at me the last 1/2 of it and the dog China walking in the last set I did really good I think.  4 weeks ago I couldn't even do one pushup.

This is what I did tonight ... this was doing as many squats for 30 seconds and pushups (knees) for 30 seconds for 3 rounds ... so a total of 3 mins.

This is what I did:

26 squats - 30 seconds
19 pushups (knees) - 30 seconds
24 squats - 30 seconds
9 pushups (knees) - 30 seconds
17 squats - 30 seconds (dog interrupted!)
5 pushups (knees) - 30 seconds

67 squats and 33 pushups (knees) in 3 mins!  I'm pretty pumped.  Marcy was actually shocked with my level of intensity.

Going to eat my birthday dinner of snow crab and steak now!  Good night!

Day 8 : Fat Joe Is Gonna Go.

Today I really broke through the wall.  I did the most intense workout I've ever done in my life ... 6mins and 10seconds of hell.

I did squats, ring rows and dips ... 20 - 2 - 2 - 18 - 4 - 4 - 16 - 6 - 6 - 14 - 8 - 8 - 12 - 10 - 10

Boy was I dead ... but I did it.  I finished.  Almost in tears ... but sooo gratifying.  After tonight I truly feel I can do it ... I can be the "No Mo' Fat Joe".

Going to do my "Joe's 30" WoD tomorrow on my Birthday.  I'll post the results tomorrow.

Day 7 : Wow ...

Holy cow I am sore ... today I did 3 rounds of 10 dumbbells (15#) and 15 dumbbell swings (15#) in 2min 50seconds.  Doesn't sound like much ... but HOLY CRAP.

Also learned Gymnastic Ring Pushups (only 3) ... GHD (Glute Ham Developer) Back Extensions and some other stuff my mind doesn't remember.

I'm going to also do what I'm calling the "Joe's 30" WOD (Workout Of the Day).  30 seconds to do as many squats as possible, then 30 seconds to do as many pushups as possible and do 3 rounds.  Then next year that will be my benchmark to see my improvement.  I'll post my results here after I do it.

Good night all.

Day 6 : Feather Fran

I am really starting to love working out.  I really look forward too it.  I look forward to pushing myself and the pain it causes.  LOL.  Sounds a bit sadistic but it's the only way I can explain it.


Started out with a 300 meter row, squats and stretches to warmup.


We did the workout called the "Feather Fran".  Being my first REAL Crossfit workout we modified it some.  It's supposed to be 21-15-9 reps of Barbell Thursters (Full Squat with Shoulder Press) and Pull-ups.  We scaled it down to 12-9-6 reps and we supplemented Ring Rows (lean back at a sharp angle with gymnastic rings in both hands and pull yourself up) for the Pull-ups.  You are supposed to do everything, non-stop until finished.  I did it in 3mins 25secs but it felt like 10 mins!  It was a tough workout and I'm gonna feel it in the morning.


We covered nutrition today also. The CrossFit organization promotes The Zone Diet which I think is going to be a good match for me.


Oh, I've found one bad thing about my Vibram Five Finger shoes.  If you don't give them enough time to dry after getting wet and start to wear them they get a bit mildewy but I still love them!

Day 5 : Deadlifts

I was trained by Doc for the first time.  He's a Marine from Camp Pendleton.  Did my first real weight bearing exercices today.  Did 5 reps by 3 sets.  115, 135, 155.

I'm really looking forward to getting up there with the heavy lifters!  I also did a CF warm-up consisting of 500m Row, 10 situps, 10 pushups and some others stretches I don't remember the names of.

I really can't wait to get in better shape!

Also, the had my first day with my Laptop Lunch box and it was plenty of food and the portions was perfect.

Also, liberated myself from my iPhone today.  Downsized to a Peek.

Next workout is 6:30PM tomorrow and I really can't wait ... even though I KNOW I'm gonna be sore.

Showing results already ...

So yesterday we moved ... basically my wife and I moved everything into our new house in about 13 hours.  It was tough ... my legs were KILLING me already from the previous 4 days of working out but even though I had that overall I think my energy level has already increased substantially.  I was able to push myself harder than usual which is awesome.  This morning though my body is basically obliterated ... and normally I would be complaining but it actually feels good and I'm actually looking forward to my 6:30PM class @ CrossFit on Monday.

Day 4 : Recap

Well this has been a great first week.  I had my final training session of the week with Military Casey @ 6:30PM.  We went over all the core movements with squat, press and deadlift and with weight this time.  Man did he kick my butt ... but it feels SOOOO good.  I actually look forward to the classes and pushing myself.  I really think this is what I'm going to need to take me to the next level ... well actually any level would be better then what I'm at right now.

So last night we had our company Christmas Party and I've taken Thursday and Friday off.  We spent the night in Del Mar @ the Hilton and did a nice walk around Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach.  At an "Eco-Friendly" store I picked up a kit called Laptop Lunches which I really think is going to help me a lot with eating properly for lunch and really help my portion control.  It was pricey but I think it's going to pay for itself shortly because I won't be eating out.  I'll give a review soon to see if it works out.

So, I won't be posting until next Monday ... We are actually moving this weekend, so that will be like a workout itself.

Until next time ...

Day 3 : Deadlift

So, only about 12 hours later I'm back at the gym.  I could BARELY walk but I was still able to do everything.  We did the; Deadlift, High Pull Sumo Deadlift (HPSD) and the Med Ball Clean.  Again, these are more about form then function but they STILL kick your butt.  There are muscles in my legs that hurt that I didn't even know existed.

So we are have our Christmas Party at work tonight and are staying in Del Mar Beach overnight at the Hilton Del Mar.  It's gonna be a good time ... the place we are eating is directly on the beach and yummy.

So my next workout will be 6:30PM on Thursday with Military Casey (Mornings @ 8 MMA Casey) ... not sure what we are covering but I'm hoping it doesn't involve my legs!

Day 2 : Press

Unfortunately I had a bit of an issue today and completely forgot about a weekly scheduled conference call so I couldn't make it to the 8AM class.  So I had to go to the 630PM class.

I got there a bit early and got to watch the people do some insane exercises.  One of them was a HAND STAND PUSHUP!  WHAT!  Someday I'll be there ... but not today.

Because I was there at a different time I had a different trainer.  His name was also Casey ... but this guy is Active Military and it shows.  The guy knows his stuff.  We reviewed the squats ... and man that was EXCRUCIATING because I was so sore from yesterday.  Then we did presses today, 3 different types and man are my shoulders sore.  At least I have an excuse this time, we used SOME weight.  Even though it was only a 35lb bar.  Ugh!

I'm actually excited about tomorrow ... we are doing deadlifts and I used to rock the casbah with those back in the day.  Gotta get to bed ... back to the gym @ 8AM tomorrow.

Review: Vibram Five Fingers - Classic

As I go through my journey of "No Mo' Fat Joe" I'm going to try products out that may help me get to my goal more quickly and/or more comfortably.  I will share my experiences with them here.

Just to fill in anyone that may not know about this ... when I was born my feet were almost completely backwards.  I had severe club feet.  The doctor's truly didn't think I'd ever be able to walk.  But through the grace of God, 11 surgeries and awesome doctors at the Shriner's Hospital I was fixed.

Because of my feet issues I've alway had problems with pain and shoes.  If they were cheaply made shoes (expensive doesn't mean they aren't cheaply made) my feet would find a flaw in them and they'd be destroyed in as little as 2 weeks.  So I have been looking for something, anything that could withstand my feet.

Then I was introduced to the Vibram Five Finger.  A friend of a friend was told he'd never be able to run marathons by a doctor because of his weak feet / ankles.  He wanted to prove the doctor wrong ... he got the Vibram Five Fingers and now is running 5K marathons.

I thought to myself that maybe the could work for me ... so one day I finally went to their website and found a dealer in the area.  I went down and tried them on.  At first they a EXTREMELY difficult to put on ... especially with my feet because of the years of bad shoes and abuse of my feet my toes had become a bit "warped".  I finally got them on and they were pretty comfortable but definitely odd feeling and VERY odd looking. (My Mom says they look like "Gorilla Feet".)

Well, I have been using them for a little over a week and I can't believe the difference.  My wife Marcy said that if she had seen my feet in a lineup she wouldn't have recognized them.  I am basically pain free ... and my toes almost look normal.  Also, I'm not wearing them out ... I've seen some runners actually get 400+ miles out of them ... so hopefully they should last me some time.

Some of my favorite things about these are:

• Don't have to worry about them getting wet ... they are machine washable (hang to dry).
• Wear with or without socks.
• Very well made.
• Small, not bulky ... very easy to bring with you to the gym.

So, if you feet issues and want to try something a bit experimental and you have around $70 bucks to burn ... then give these a go.

Rating: 10 / 10

Day 1 : OMG!

Well today I've started my first day of CrossFit trainging at CrossFit by Overload in Murrieta, CA. I am starting off with a 4 week beginner course that goes over the fundamental moves of CrossFit. Today we focused on the squats. There are 3 different types of squats; the squat, the front squat and the overhead squat. All of them suck ... :-) My legs feel as though they are going to fall off and we didn't even do any weights! I suppose I have enough weight built-in right now to make ANYTHING I do an exercise.

Well, my trainer's name is Casey. He's actually an MMA fighter which is awesome. He's fought 7 times in the last 7 months ... that's HARDCORE. Most MMA fighters do 2 or at the most 3 fights in year.

So again, 8AM tomorrow ... hopefully I can actually walk. That may make it a bit hard to work out.