In the Lab
There’s this old Dr. Dre lyric from Forgot About Dre where he says something like, “Cause I’ve been in the lab with a pen and a pad, trying to get this damned label off.” I’ve always liked that lyric. It really resonates. I feel like that a lot. Always tinkering.
Fitness At the gym this morning, I hit my mark really well. I ran a 30 minute 5K, including some sprints at 8MPH and then walking that off at 4MPH. My cruise speed was 6.8 most of the time.
I increased my weights again since Monday. I’m finding a few things working in this regard. One, I started where I could really do the exercise correctly, instead of starting where my ego wanted me to lift. And I’m getting results quickly, while not sacrificing form. Two, in key areas, like pushups, I reasoned that if I do a few hit and run efforts (4 sets of 20 reps instead of trying to exhaustion and only getting 25 or 27), I might be benefitting myself more. Key things only. Tired muscles are tired muscles.
Current weak spots: biceps and triceps. Having NOT paid specific attention to these, I’m finding I have a weaker set of important muscles. Remedy: do a few sets of tricep/bicep exercises midweek.
Running: I noticed that Alison started her Boston training now. I’m thinking of doing Don’t Run Boston, which I think happens the week before Boston (haven’t found it posted yet). If so, I have to start marathon training NOW? Hmm.. that might be a deal breaker on *that* marathon.
Nutrition Last night, I read the little companion book to the ABS Diet, that Men’s Health thingy with the glowing orange cover. I like it. Fairly simple and no-nonsense. Nothing that blew me away, except I read that there are a few studies saying one should take their protein supplement BEFORE lifting, where I’ve always believed it was supposed to be an after-lifting thing. Ah, but there are studies for everything. The one thing I like about the ABS diet is that it suggests that if you eat the calorie-dense, high fiber foods on their list, you don’t really need portion control. It’ll handle itself for you. Take oatmeal. You can’t gorge on that.
One other thing I’d forgotten about, High Fructose Corn Syrup actually makes you hungry (maybe hungrier), because fructose doesn’t register with your body’s network of defenses, so your body doesn’t deploy insulin to help regulate your hunger, convert the sugar to something useful, etc. Something to beware of, eh?
I liked the little helper book more than the big book. Seems like an inexpensive way to follow the advice in the big book without shelling out for the big one. :)
Not training related I have a new favorite gym show to watch instead of COPS (or as well as COPS). MTV’s “Made.” Have you seen it? It’s fairly inspirational while sweating your sphincter off. Usually, there’s some kid who wants something they think they can’t attain, at least without some kind of coach. The coach comes in and pumps the kid up until they hit their mark. Oh, I did an uninspired but sweaty 10 minutes on the bike, too. I forgot that.
Today, I’m reading from FUNCTIONAL TRAINING FOR SPORTS, by Boyle. I enjoy the first chapter, so far. It’s talking about “how” we lift weights, and how lots of it doesn’t really mimic the actual activities we intend to perform. He goes on to say something like, doesn’t it make more sense to train the way you’ll play? Which makes great sense to me.
Of course, this puts me back in the conundrum of wanting to determine just what “sport” would best suit me. I mean, superhero is not a sport. I guess, at the end of the day, it’ll have to be a blend. Because martial arts would make sense, but so would keeping my endurance training going. Climbing seems good, as I can’t fly. What else, though, is unclear at this time. It’s always fun figuring such things out. : )
Books referenced in this post:
And okay, one for Dre.
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