Life in the Suburban Jungle

300 - The Workout

My trainer started me on this training program last week and I must say that it is totally kicking my butt! It is the same workout that the actors used to get in shape for the movie 300, and also is the number of reps that you perform during each workout.  Here is how it breaks down:

25 pull-ups

50 deadlifts at 135 pounds

50 push-ups

50 box jumps with a 24-inch box

50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)

50 "clean and press" at 36 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise)

25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps

There is not any scheduled rest between exercises - though you may need it!

For an article on the movie and the workout click HERE.

Braggin'

After reading Tim Ferris's book Four Hour Workweek I sat down and set some 6-month goals.  One of them was to get the whole "eat right and exercise regularly" thing figured out once and for all. I have been involved in athletics since I was a kid and have always been in moderately good to good shape (5 marathons in the past 7 years), etc., but I have never been satisfied with the way I looked - a little chunky in the places that men get chunky. So when this topic again came up during the 6-month goal setting process I decided to hire a personal trainer and get serious about tackling it.

Now before someone comments that I could have shared all this back when I made this decision I will defend myself only with this:  I really wanted to make sure I was serious about it before I went out on a limb and shared it - nothing worse than making a decision that either doesn't stick or just flat fails. I am now a strong advocate of the personal trainer. Some would watch a workout session and conclude that they simply count reps and write down the weights, but belive me when I write that the accountability of having a set time and day to meet and workout and the knowledge that the proper nutrition requirements will be asked about have made all the difference. So - here is the bragging part.  Since beginning at the end of May and as of this morning I have lost a total of 1&1/4 inches in my neck, 3 inches in the waist, 4% body fat and a grand total of 14 pounds!! And I guess the best part is that I feel great!! My goals at the beginning of the training were to lose 10 pounds (down to 175 lbs) and to drop the body fat % down to 15% (from 18%). This morning's measurements were 171 lbs and 14%!!!  So now the big question from my trainer is "what are your new goals?" More on that later.

Better Add Another Mile

It's natural to want to treat yourself after a tough workout - but it's all to easy to eat more than you've earned. In his book The Diet Detective's Count Down, Charles Stuart Platkin gives the exercise equivalents for 7,500 foods. Here are how many minutes you need to run to burn off the calories of a few typical pre- and postrun foods and treats. (All calculations are based on a 155-pound person running 12 minute miles).

• one large banana = 12 minutes
• one 12 ounce beer = 16 minutes
• one Snickers bar = 30 minutes
• Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino (10oz) = 31 minutes
• one cup of cooked pasta with tomato sauce = 31 minutes
• half cup of Grape Nuts mixed into one cup of plain, low-fat yogurt = 38 minutes
• two bean-and-cheese burritos = 40 minutes
• one cinnamon-raisin bagel with two tablespoons of peanut butter = 41 minutes
• one scone = 45 minutes
• two slices Pizza Hut cheese pan pizza = 58 minutes
• two pancakes with a tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of maple syrup = 70 minutes
• cheeseburger with large french fries = 117 minutes

From Runner's World April '07