G8r80's training / dieting / cycling / log

I rested my 48yo body yesterday, which was overdue for a rest. Dietarily, I had a bit of a relapse - stopped at Arby's and had a Super Roast beef and an apple turnover - but at least no jamocha shake, which is reserved for special occasions (like dropping below 200). Otherwise, diet was not bad yesterday.

Today, I rode 52 miles averaging 18.9 on the outbound, against a mild headwind, and 19.2 on the return with a mild tailwind. Only one other rider so not a big draft benefit. I am overdue for upper body work, so I will try to do that tonight or, if I am too tired or busy, tomorrow. Also, I am going to do a short recovery ride (12 - 16 miles at 16- 17 mph on mountain bike) tomorrow and Friday before my big ride with flyinfree on Saturday.
 
WOOOOW!!!

you are putting alot into saturday! that is totally cool GR8!! ha! i will be running a half marathon tomorrow after work. But you can count on me having a lil something in the tank for ya!!

This si gunna be great.

3rd period french! hahha Something tells me you got the goods. You were soo cool on the phone. "no need to call me again, I said I'm going and that's set it in stone, that's just the way i am" no giggle no nothing! HAHA

I am completeing my final build week, so the output this week has been huge, but we'll work these old bodies into a sweat GUARANTEED.

One hint for ya!! Hill intensive mid-course. SO- mentality is to finish strong! We will climb the ladder! mid stride about 1.5 - 2:00 hours or so into the ride (top of Sugarloaf) then we will take the backside of the course in 1:00- 1:20-
Breath man breath!

Triathletes day--- morning dip, cool ride on a bike, and then run home for lunch (or dinner).

It is very humbling to see how much emphasis you have put into Saturday Rich. namaste
 
YOU ACTUALLY USED 440 cals for two cookies!! wow! make them home made wit whole wheat flower and they will be better and you can get it done for about 75 cals each. you could have had 5 (a little stack) ;-)


OK- great ride today GR8??? - whatever that stands for, I want everybody to know it stand for GREAT- as of now!

here's the ride intensity chart.
flhbikepro.gif


Here you are pre-meltdown!! hahha you never melted BRO!

Gr8.jpg


here we are abotu 20 miles in.

gr8Todd.jpg


and here is SUGARLOAF. full size photo out of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. this bad boy has a 14 degree incline. So Sparrow, that 15 degree training helps.

Sugarloaf.jpg


AND FINALLY- to you Great 8 I say this- you got the juice man. You are a solid, genuine, free speaking, QUALITY guy. You are in great shape. That was a fairly tough ride this morning, and you took it in stride.

NOW!!! About that Triathlon weekend after next. YOU CAN DO IT!!! Don't be a puke man. The only reason you wouldn't do it is "mentals."

It was very cool to have soem time with you.

Thank you.

Next time we skydive and then mountain bike off road. I know just the place.

FF
(copy pasted in your journal too)
 
My time with Flyinfree was very motivating. Flyin has the ability to convince you that you can do anything! And, I fell for it!:hug2:

I flew to San Francisco on Sunday so didn't get any training in. On Monday AM before class, I did 30 minutes on stationary bike at level 12 out of 15. In the evening, I did 8 full laps in the 25m pool for a total of 400m alternating 1/2 laps of free strokes with wimpy side strokes - pathetic, for now - but I will improve! Even this low effort took its toll on me. I was dizzy afterwards for 20 minutes.

Yesterday, I raised my level on the stationary bike to 45 minutes at max level. Today, I did another 45 minutes at level 15 and this evening did another 60 minutes at level 15 and swam another 8 full laps for another 400 m. I recovered much quicker this time. I really need to learn to swim and breath better.

Weight is now 202#, the lowest I have been since 2002, but I am in the best physical condition I have been in in years. This month is my one-year anniversary of my fitness regime (minus all of last December as I recovered from my angioplasty) so I am very pleased with the progress I have made over the last year. I can only hope that I improve as much over the next year.
 
I worked out on the hotel's stationary bike my last day in San Francisco. Did 60 minutes (the max on bike) at level 15 (the max). This was tough - Flyinfree would have liked this one! I sat in the saddle for 45 seconds and got out of the saddle for 30 seconds for a whole hour. Twice. Legs were definitely tired at the end of the day.

Now that I am back home, I am going to re-focus on upper body stuff.
 
Went to the gym last night for some much-needed upper body work. I had been concentrating on legs the week before my date with Flyinfree and his love of pain.

Start off each workout with pullups on parallel bars to muscle fatigue: 6, 4, 4

1. Alternated between Smith machine and bench press stopping short of muscle fatigue for safety reasons (no spotter)

SM: 185# 6 reps
BP: 135# 8 reps
SM: 205# 5 reps
BP: 155# 6 reps
SM: 205# 5 reps
BP: 155# 6 reps

1 minute rest between sets

1 set of 10 dips. Tried second set, but triceps were toast.

5 sets of 10 reps of hack squat. I am going to bump up the weights now because while it was still difficult it is not nearly as difficult as it was originally. 1 timed minute of rest between sets

3 x 10 upright rows

Lat pulldowns:

Did something a little different with the lat pulldowns:

I started with 145# on the machine: did 10 reps
Added 5# with each set, but lowered by 1 rep
Continued this until I got to doing 1 at 190.
These were all palms facing me.

Based on the soreness of my lats and biceps today, I think I will replicate this.

Today: Got up at 4:15am (yes, AM) to take my son to do his first open water dives for scuba certification. While he was diving, I took off on my road bike and did 30 miles averaging just over 19.5 mph for the entire 30 miles with one stop at 15 miles. Road was flat with only minor hills and minimal wind today. Total time was just under 1:30. Although that is not a bad time for me, I thought I was going to be faster but those hack squats less than 12 hours earlier sapped some leg strength from me.
 
Sunday, I went diving with my younger son (16). He did his last two open water dives to become certified and asked me to accompany him and be his dive buddy (I am a certified diver). I was ecstatic that he asked me, but played it cool. It was actually much more stressful diving with your children because you not only look out for your own well-being but theirs as well (constantly checking his gauges, pulling the hair out of his mask, checking if he is okay, adjusting his tank , inflating his bc, deflating his bc, etc.). But it was a great father/son dive and I am glad we did it. We can now dive together whenever. Unfortunately, the seas were really rough (3 - 5') and although I had my Transderm patch, I did not put it on early enough (1 hour before the boat trip instead of the recommended 4 hours) so I was queazy for much of the trip. I could have taken dramamine, but it makes me sooooo drowsy, even the less-drowsy formulas.

Monday, I did honeydew responsibilities at one of my rental houses. Tenant is moving in this weekend.

Today, I hung 4 interior doors at the rental house and some other tasks. Got to the gym around 9:30pm:

3 x 5 chinups
3 x 10 bp 135#
3 x 8 bp on Smith Machine 185#
5 x 10 seated rows 180#
5 x 10 40 degree hack squats 110#
1 x 10 150# lat pulldown (palms facing me)
1 x 9 155# "" ""
1 x 8 160# "" ""
1 x 7 165# "" ""
I was gonna continue this sequence of adding 5# and dropping a rep, but couldn't. I don't know why I felt rundown today, but I was winded and then got queasy and thought I was going to hurl, so I quit.
 
Went to the gym tonight at 9:30pm and focused on the stationary bike. Specifically, I wanted to work on my hill climbing out of the saddle. I set the stationary bike on level 20 out of 25 and had to get out of the saddle about 1/2 of the 50 minutes. Machine said I burned 650 calories and I believe it. This was tougher than my spinning classes. Compared to most other cyclists (and certainly those in my age group), I can pedal out of the saddle better and longer than most and thus I am focusing on becoming the best hillclimber I can be,
 
Der, chime in anytime you like with suggestions...

This morning, I got up at 4:40am and decided to catch the 5:15am spinning class at the gym. I got there and learned spinning class is Friday morning! So, I worked out:

3 x 10 135# bench press (no spotter). (With a spotter, I would have done fewer reps at about 160 - 180). After having used (and gotten spoiled by) the Smith Machine, I am still developing the stabilizer muscles necessary to bench press. I really don't know why I am doing this bench press stuff, the pecs and triceps are my target, which I get from the SM, but I have a personal bp ambition of 225# with multiple reps which is reasonable for an NFL cornerback of my size but is 100# more than Lance Armstrong could do.

Lat pulldowns: 10 reps at 145#, 9 reps at 150#, 8 reps at 155#, ... 1 rep at 190#

3 x 5 pullups (parallel bars)

1 x 10 95# overhead press on Smith Machine
1 x 10 115# overhead press on Smith Machine
1 x 6 125# overhead press on Smith Machine

I would have done more but it had only been 6 hours since I left the gym last night and although I worked legs last night and upper body this AM, my body was fatigued. Time to rest (unless I decide to ride this evening).

Tonight, I'll watch my 2nd alma mater, the University of South Florida (MS, Zoology), currently ranked #2, play Rutgers in football (for you Europeans, that is American college football). I am also an alumnus of the University of Florida (BS Zoology).

CBWill, one good thing about having multiple alma maters is you can jump on and off the bandwagons! And if the USF Bulls win the BCS title (highly unlikely, but crazier things have happened), I'll ask the mods to change my name to bulls89.
 
On Saturday, I thought about FlyinFree and his Ironman. Props to him! I didn't ride because it was raining beforehand, although it stopped by ride time. Oh well. So, I did a spinning class at the gym. A very fit, bosomy instructor is leading it. She really gets you going and for 45 minutes I am alternately gasping for air or preparing to gasp for air.

On Sunday, I couldn't get FlyinFree out of my head with his undeserved praise for me and his rah rah "You can do it, the only reason you don't is because you puked out" so I decided to up the ante and start riding with some folks that are clearly younger, more experienced, and, most importantly, faster, knowing full well that I would likely get dropped like third period
French. One is a category 1 racer and many are cat. 2 or 3 racers or could be. I have been riding steadily for only one year after a long layoff.

We start riding and for the first 5 miles, we gradually build up to 23 - 24 mph, which is 1 or 2 mph faster than my comfort zone. I take short turns pulling but slow down to 21 - 22 nonetheless, which I think doesn't go over well with the others.

I try to hang on at 23 - 25 mph, but just can't - I am completely winded and gasping for air and have to slow down, losing the pack. I regain my stroke and continue along at 21 - 22, but the is way ahead and pulling away. I pass another guy who had dropped off and stop for a drink and a snack at 12 miles, thinking I would ride back by myself. Along come three others, including the guy I passed. I get back on the bike and ride along with them. They are obviously in great shape but are riding along at a frustratingly slow pace, 18 - 20, compared to what I was prepared for and slowed down to 16 for a few miles. I ride with them and start pulling and bring the speed up to about 21 for the remainder of the trip. Totals: 31 miles, avg. speed: 18.7 mph.

I am going to ride with the fast guys (no ladies) every Sunday that I can as you get faster by riding with others who are faster.

I have decided to really focus on cardio. If I am ready for HIIT, I will try that. If not, I will work on intervals to build up my cardio with an eventual goal of HIIT.
 
Since my ride Sunday with the big boys (i.e., half my age and many are competitive bike racers), I have been doing a lot of thinking.

Monday, I worked out on the stationary bike for a half hour before flying out to Charlotte NC for a training class. Monday night, although tired, I went out running. I did not know the distance but ran for 16 minutes before I was just too fatigued to continue. I walked back and then measured the distance with the car - 1.6 miles for a 10 min. mile pace. I was disappointed with this pace as I had been doing just under 9 min miles, but I think my legs were still fatigued from my ride Sunday with the big boys, my ride that morning and my long workday.

Tuesday, I rested.

Wednesday, I really thought about what my goals were and went about it in an organized manner rather than the haphazard program that I generally follow. I had decided that my major goals are to:

1a. Improve cardiovascular
1b. Lose 20 pounds from 206 to 185. That should put my body fat in the very low teens or just below.

2. Improve my triceps. When I upper body compound exercises, e.g., bench press, dips, and overhead press, my triceps give out long before my pecs, back or deltoids. Since I want to improve these latter muscles as well, I have to improvde the triceps before I can effect that.

So,

Chinups: 2 x 7
Body weight dips: 3 x 10
Bench press: 155# 10, 9, 8, 7, 10, 9, 5 reps (triceps completely fatigued)
Hack squats 1 x 10
Exercise bike: 60 minutes, level 15 - 17 (out of 20). HR range: 115 - 132, mode: 120 - 125.

Finally, I did the 5 minute fitness test on the exercise bike. I did this before, several months ago and came up with "good", IIRC. This time, it came up elite, which suggests to me that Polar has a more loose definition of elite than I do.

I just started reading Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible" and, so far, I am more confused than ever...
__________________
 
g8r80 said:
Der, chime in anytime you like with suggestions...

.
Click to expand...

AT some point you will wish you never said that!

you are doign great! super-consistency! that is the thing to be admired. Any body, any endurance level, any strength and goal can be accomplished with that consistency---

let's consider a drop of water......ok I'm done
FF

that was fun!
 
Thanks Flyin! I am not afraid of Derwyddon's suggestions, unless they include eating more lima beans.

On Thursday, my class in Charlotte was rained out so I grabbed some lunch, changed and headed to Bally's.

BTW, here in the US, many hotels have agreements with fitness centers for no or little one-day charge. I always ask when I check in. You don't have to use the crappy hotel stuff.

Hack squats: 5 x 10 to exhaustion (huffing, puffing and barely able to stand up)
Chinups: 3 x 6
Upright Rows: 5 x 10 - 140#
Overhead press: 3 x 10 - 95#
Shrugs: 5 x 10 - 115# (I'm gonna do upright rows next time)

Exercise bike intervals (hill climbing): 30 minutes at level 20 out of 20 - this was a tough mutha! I tried level 20 several months ago and thought, "How could anyone turn the pedals at this level"? so I am pleased with this result.
 
I rode 52 miles with my usual suspect cycling club this morning, averaging 19.5 mph for the entire trip with 3 stops at 20, 30 and 40 miles. I incorporated three hard intervals on two hillclimbs and a sprint that took me to the lactate threshold for about a minute each.

Tomorrow, I am going out with the fast boys that I rode with last Sunday again. They really respect you if you come out, get dropped, and come back for more pain and humility. I should be really, really respected after a few weeks!
 
hahaaah i just noticed your location! you are a riot. These rides you are talking about sound challenging. i want some!!! last time we rode i was in a taper week, next time we GRIND BABY!!! :-O
 
I didn't make it out with the fast boys Sunday; the wife and I went out barhopping and I overslept. Spent the rest of the day doing honeydew assignments.

Monday, I went mountainbiking with a competitive MTBer, who is 24 (1/2 my age if you do the math). He showed me a new frontier of MTBing that I had not yet seen; going down single and double diamond descents without braking and pedalling like crazy to get up the other side with typical slopes of damn near 100% all the while risking physical damage to yourself or bike. Flyinfree - this is right up your alley!

On one of the slower descents, I fell (one of approximately 30 minor to major falls during the 2.5 hour ride) and landed on a rock. That hurt like a mutha! I broke a rib when I was 19, so I remember how that was, and this is not that bad, but it is definitely a solid 9 on the pain-in-the-ass scale.

Today, I went to the gym but between my just diagnosed shoulder bursitis and bruised rib and sore rib muscles and the fact I have a big cycling day ahead of me tomorrow, I was limited in what I could or should do. Tried to do dips - ribs hurt. Tried to do pushups - shoulders hurt. So, did hills on the stationary bike (level 17 out of 25) and called it a day.

Not one of my stellar days on Earth, but it beats the alternative...
 
That is some great progress you have made with your cycling! I have done a little biking and the speeds you are averaging are really flying along. I am happy to hit your average speeds as a high when I get a slight down hill. :yelrotflmao: Really great work!
 
I am in Burnsville, which borders Eagan. I lived in Eagan for several years before moving over to Burnsville. I think the Eagan border is probably less than 5 miles from where I live.
 
Since I was such a slouch during the pushup contest yesterday, I knew I had to go hard on the cardio and lower body today. So...

I got up at 5:00 am and did a 45 min spinning class at the local gym. That wore me out. Then, after an hour rest, I rode 52 miles with Glenn. Had a tailwind on the outbound and averaged 20.5 mph. On the return, had a strong headwind, averaging 16.5 mph for a final 18.0 mph average.

This growing old thing sucks. Because I had an angioplasty last november, I take three meds for that, probably for life. And, because various prescription and over the counter meds interact, I have to check with my pharmacist, general practitioner and cardiologist if I can take Advil for my shoulder bursitis. The problem will have healed by the time I get the clearance. But, the shoulders feel much better today.
 
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