Day 2 started with a glitch. When I woke up to walk the dog at 6am, I forgot it would be dark. My dog, Murphy, walks off leash in the canyons and foothills here in Henderson Nevada. He runs up and down the hillsides like a wild man. Four paws equal four wheel drive, so he climbs to some cool spots. The problem is that so do the coyotes, which we’ve seen on other walks at dawn. Dawn is different than darkness so I opted to go back to bed.

I guess I haven’t been up by 6am in the past month and I failed to realize that our days are growing shorter. I’m looking forward to daylight savings time on Sunday November 2.

So my day started at 8am instead and my routine picked up right where I planned. Drink 16 ozs. of water followed by a cup of caffeinated herbal tea and walk the dog, then hit the gym after another glass of water. I made it home by 10am and I’m ready for post work our protein.

Today was a back to basics workout after a 5 month lay off. Yes, time flies. I did 20 minutes of cardio followed by a light chest a tricep workout. 3 sets of 12 reps with light weights. This is my reintroduction phase so I was more focused on good form and getting my muscles used to being in the gym again, rather than pushing more weight then I was ready for and perhaps pulling a muscle. I’m older now and injuries are more common. That would have been a crap way to start my ninety days.

I’ve got some goals that I intend to accomplish during this training cycle.

1. Lose weight and gain muscle. Currently I’m weighing in at 180 pounds. I’ve already lost 7 pounds in 10 days by simply drinking a gallon of water daily, eating 5-6 times daily, and supplementing with vitamins and caffeine. I’d like to get to 165 pounds. I want to lose 20 more pounds of fat and put on 5 pounds of lean muscle.
2. Develop a consistently health lifestyle. I’m the guy that goes to the gym for 3 months and then takes 6 months off. I’m convinced that staying active and healthy is the key to growing old gracefully. This is the time for me to ingrain these habits and make them a lifestyle. That’s a Life List goal right there. I’ll talk about this subject more later.
3. Feel strong like when I was a kid. As a kid I was fit. I didn’t have to workout because I played hard everyday. You name the sport and I played it. At the playground, I was the kid that climbed to the top of the swing set rather than swinging on it (that drove my Mom crazy) just because it was a challenge. Here’s a few kid accomplishments that stand out for me.

• 4th grade – I did 77 push ups in two minutes. Set the school record for the year during our P.E. testing. Yep, all of 9 years old and probably weighed 70 pounds. I want to be that strong again.
• 10th grade – Ran a 6:30 minute mile. Not the best, but it’s a number that stands out that I was capable of when I was 15 and I want to beat it. (I’m going to do the mile test later this week)
• 24 years old – 24 pull-ups in a row. Ask Jay, he saw it. I want to do 32 to match my age.

I’ve given myself a fitness test to see my current stats and have a foundation to build on and compare against.

Day 1 Testing

• 35 push ups in two minutes
• 4 pull ups in a row
• 5 dips in a row
• I cannot do a one legged squat (pistol squat)
• 1 mile test later this week
• 65 hindu squats in two minutes
• 10 hindu push ups in a row

I’ve always been fascinated by someones ability to move around their own body weight. It requires muscle, flexibility, balance, endurance and core strength. To me this really is a test of one’s physical abilities. I’ll get more into body weight calisthenics as the blog goes on.

Keep this in mind. Gracie Jiu Jitsu guys test to see if you can do 30 hindu push ups before they even let you on the mat. Check out YouTube if you’re curious about any of the above exercises.

Have an Awesome day. I’m going to eat.

e

Tomorrow’s To Do List

• Up at 7am (it’s still dark at 6)
• Head out to Red Rock and hike Ice Box Canyon.
• Drink a gallon of water
• Eat 3 meals and 3 snacks
• Supplement
• Be Awesome
• Be Excited