Summer Challenge 2008

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

On April 21st it will be two months until summer. To follow in the shoes of RickMatz's Lenten challenge, I am putting this one out there. Anyone wishing to join should feel free. It sounded so easy for Lent but sometimes we get so busy we gotta push harder. Even if you only can fit a few minutes of training a day.
Guidelines are Everyday... Do some form of training and/or cardio. Eat only healthy foods. Take time for yourself. Stretch. If you fall off then climb back on. It will only make you happier, relaxed and more confident. Good Luck!

[xcakid]

On April 21st it will be two months until summer. To follow in the shoes of RickMatz's Lenten challenge, I am putting this one out there. Anyone wishing to join should feel free. It sounded so easy for Lent but sometimes we get so busy we gotta push harder. Even if you only can fit a few minutes of training a day.
Guidelines are Everyday... Do some form of training and/or cardio. Eat only healthy foods. Take time for yourself. Stretch. If you fall off then climb back on. It will only make you happier, relaxed and more confident. Good Luck!

YOu lost me at healthy foods.

[RickMatz]

On April 21st it will be two months until summer. To follow in the shoes of RickMatz's Lenten challenge, I am putting this one out there. Anyone wishing to join should feel free. It sounded so easy for Lent but sometimes we get so busy we gotta push harder. Even if you only can fit a few minutes of training a day.
Guidelines are Everyday... Do some form of training and/or cardio. Eat only healthy foods. Take time for yourself. Stretch. If you fall off then climb back on. It will only make you happier, relaxed and more confident. Good Luck!

I'm with you.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

Today Starts The Challenge!

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

my goal is to be shredded by the end of summer. put on a power tire over winter doing nothing but powerlifting.

i really dont want to, but ill even do a before pic.

[RickMatz]

We're with you.

[David Jamieson]

besides regular kungfu training, I'm doing the p90x program.

GDA, you wanna get ripped, this is the way.

6 days a week 1 day off or stretch.

High intensity, 12 different routines mixed up doubled up with excellent results shown in every instance of every person who followed the method.

You can work some of your lifting into the stuff because lifting is in there.
It's wicked and Brutal, so you'll probably like it.
Although you may hate Tony horton because he's a yappy dude. Thankfully, the DVDs have options to turn off his chatter. lol

nutritional guide supplied takes guess work out of what to eat if you don't already know how to eat right. also supplemental drinks and nutrients are available, but again, if you know what to do , you can keep using your own stuff for that.

I personally don't like using creatine or any other substance other than whole natural foods.

[sanjuro_ronin]

P90X is for pansies, I do the P30X, it's 3X the intensity !!
:D

[David Jamieson]

P90X is for pansies, I do the P30X, it's 3X the intensity !!
:D

I don't know if GDA is running a linux system though.

However P90X will hurt you good.

P30X is merely a Linux Live Distro and is for nerds. :D

SR, I didn't have you pigeon holed as a nerd.
I guess I was wrong...you nerd. :p

[sanjuro_ronin]

I don't know if GDA is running a linux system though.

However P90X will hurt you good.

P30X is merely a Linux Live Distro and is for nerds. :D

SR, I didn't have you pigeon holed as a nerd.
I guess I was wrong...you nerd. :p

LOL


All kidding aside, I have seen the 90X workouts and they aren't bad at all.
Nothing new mind you and if you have the free time to do more than MA training, go for it.
Personally, I need to get my workout from my training since I don't have the time to truly split them up.

[David Jamieson]

well, if it's any consolation, there is yoga and kempo built into the P90X system. So, it's not actually cutting away from any martial arts training for me. :) BUt overall, it is not a martial training system at all.

[sanjuro_ronin]

well, if it's any consolation, there is yoga and kempo built into the P90X system. So, it's not actually cutting away from any martial arts training for me. :) BUt overall, it is not a martial training system at all.

I know and its one of the better all-around exercise video series out there.
Though, like you, I find the guy a tad annoying and the people on his videos a tad annoying too.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

besides regular kungfu training, I'm doing the p90x program.

GDA, you wanna get ripped, this is the way.

6 days a week 1 day off or stretch.

High intensity, 12 different routines mixed up doubled up with excellent results shown in every instance of every person who followed the method.

You can work some of your lifting into the stuff because lifting is in there.
It's wicked and Brutal, so you'll probably like it.
Although you may hate Tony horton because he's a yappy dude. Thankfully, the DVDs have options to turn off his chatter. lol

nutritional guide supplied takes guess work out of what to eat if you don't already know how to eat right. also supplemental drinks and nutrients are available, but again, if you know what to do , you can keep using your own stuff for that.

I personally don't like using creatine or any other substance other than whole natural foods.

hmmm .. i cant drop the money on something like that right now, but ill keep it in mind. i wish they had a sample workout on there. im just hesitant about anything with so much hype. honestly, i know very little about cardio. i've always had a decent metabolism and just done whatever when i saw myself packing on a few. i'd like to get more cut than ever before though, so if i dont manage to be able to start boxing this summer (shcool has ridiculous conditioning sessions every class) i'll keep this in mind.

im also fatter right now than i ever have been. my spare tire was in danger of becoming a nice gut before i realized it. it wasnt so much the winter as the post-meet period that got me. i had to cut down from a fairly solid 162 to 148 in a few weeks. after this i indulged to my hearts content. normally, that wouldn’t have had such negative results, but i sprained my ankle and was off training completely for 2 weeks. doesnt take long i tell you that.

as far as diet goes, i don't know all that much about nutrition either, but i eat pretty sensibly aside from the few things i know i should cut. i dont eat sweets or junk food period (just dont like them), but i more than make up for it in beer, pasta, fatty meats, and stuff i convince myself is ok because its fried in extra virgin olive oil (perogies).

this was today:

7am bowl of fiber one w/ walnuts, strawberries, blueberries, two eggs over a pice of whole wheat bread, and a large glass of milk
12pm grilled chicken sandwich with only fat free wasabi-digon dressing another large glass of milk.
3pm same sandwich with badass salad (very little balsamic dressing)
5pm bananna, decent sized tuna steak, few nuts
7:30pm Pre Workout - 2 perogies and 1 cup of "healthy sides whole grain pasta" **** still comes in a bag, but i convince myself its ok because it says "healthy" on it.

after lifting ill have a shake with a banana, and maybe mix up some tuna and eggs if i stay up late studying.

all and all i dont think im doing bad, but i have no idea how much of what im taking in. i just make sure to keep protien high, fats low, and carbs moderate time them around my training sessions.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

What is the P90X Program?

[xcakid]

What is the P90X Program?


http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90x.do?code=GOTO_KW_P90X

[sanjuro_ronin]

There are so many "muscle confusion" programs and regimes that you can do.
P90x is a great one, especially for those that don't know enough to design their own routine to meet their specific needs.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

There are so many "muscle confusion" programs and regimes that you can do.
P90x is a great one, especially for those that don't know enough to design their own routine to meet their specific needs.

do people typically lose a fair amount of muscle on it though? muscle gain hasn't come easy for me and id hate to throw away more than i have to because i want a six pack.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

One Week In. How is everyone doing? I have been keeping up with at least one thing a day. If you broke it start over again. You have 7 weeks!

[Samurai Jack]

I'm in late, but I didn't see the thread until today. I'm training for a super secret challenge... couldn't care less what I look like, but I need to be putting in a very sizeable amount of Martial Arts training if I'm going anywhere with it.

[sanjuro_ronin]

do people typically lose a fair amount of muscle on it though? muscle gain hasn't come easy for me and id hate to throw away more than i have to because i want a six pack.

Very few people can lose weight and NOT lose muscle mass, its a genetic thing more than anythign else.
Typically its "easier" to replace fat with muscle in terms of %, since you really can't replace one with the other.
If you are 180 and 24% Body fat with 15" arms, for example, and you go down to 170 with 18% body fat and 16" arms, you have obviously lost fat and gained muscle.
In truth that is th eonly way to know if you are doing both, by BF% and by muscle size measurement.
It only really matters in terms of strength, can you lose weight and at least maintain strength levels, that is far more important.

[Samurai Jack]

For what it's worth, the P90X people I've seen look like they put on a bit of muscle. On the other hand, the science of what they do logically runs counter to that, and it could be an illusion brought on by decreased bodyfat.

For example, working out six days a week will not give your body time to build muscle before the next workout as it's still trying to recuperate from what you did the day before. I know that Horton claims this is bypassed by the variable workouts, but it dosen't hold up in a lab. It's well understood that physiologically you can only systemically sustain stressful workouts (dosen't matter if the source is weights, yoga, cardio etc.) for so long before you start to catabolize muscle.

I know that I can hardly recover between the martial arts and weights that I do now, so I don't think I could handle P90X on top of it.

Still, I'm curious to see where David goes with it, because he obviously knows what he's doing...

[sanjuro_ronin]

For what it's worth, the P90X people I've seen look like they put on a bit of muscle. On the other hand, the science of what they do logically runs counter to that, and it could be an illusion brought on by decreased bodyfat.

For example, working out six days a week will not give your body time to build muscle before the next workout as it's still trying to recuperate from what you did the day before. I know that Horton claims this is bypassed by the variable workouts, but it dosen't hold up in a lab. It's well understood that physiologically you can only systemically sustain stressful workouts (dosen't matter if the source is weights, yoga, cardio etc.) for so long before you start to catabolize muscle.

I know that I can hardly recover between the martial arts and weights that I do now, so I don't think I could handle P90X on top of it.

Still, I'm curious to see where David goes with it, because he obviously knows what he's doing...

You are correct SJ, the only viable way to see if one is gaining muscle mass as one is losing fat is they way I mentioned.
Personally, when you have a full time job and train MA, to add stuff like P90X is a tricky thing, but that goes with anything, not just P90X.
The vast majority of Strength training regimes out there are NOT for people that have full time jobs AND do a demanding physical activity like MA, they are for people that wanna focus on ST and mayeb have "some cardio on the side" or people that wanna focus on cardio and have some ST on the side..

MA is by its very nature both HIIT AND moderate cardio, it is very telling on the body but in terms of strength training it can be rather lacking.
The majority of people doing a sport combat art probably need more ST than more cardio.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

I'm in late, but I didn't see the thread until today. I'm training for a super secret challenge... couldn't care less what I look like, but I need to be putting in a very sizeable amount of Martial Arts training if I'm going anywhere with it.

Has more to do with how you feel, not how you look.
Two weeks...Everyone still in? 6 weeks left!

[RickMatz]

Has more to do with how you feel, not how you look.
Two weeks...Everyone still in? 6 weeks left!

You bet! Keep training!

[David Jamieson]

well, I am still doing my regular kungfu training plus keeping up the p90x 6 days a week.

p90x is about shedding fat and toning muscle and is not really for building muscle so much as shoring it up, toning it and making it stronger. I guess it will build if you do the weight routines with low rep and heavy weight, but, if you are not a previously fit or have knowledge of good lifting mechanics etc, then I would NOT recommend this program for you. p90x is for people who are already fit and want to go to another level in that area of their training. there are other programs that can shed fat better or build strength better, but I haven't found an all rounder one like this. It's pretty cool.

the routines are good and I am seeing genuine results in my body shape. especially doing the ab ripper 3x a week on top of the fairly intensive cardio sessions. The weight sessions are easy for me so far. the plyometrics are great, the kempo is goofy and more like taebo, but it's a good cardio session. so is taebo though lol. really it amounts to kickboxercize but it is constant and demanding and keeps the heart rate high. the yoga sessions in p90x are wicked though.

they basically go through some of the most difficult yoga postures such as eagle, plough, upward dog (not cobra, get the knees off the floor!) and run through a series of dynamic and static postures that would give even the most seasoned yogis a good workout.

I will post 30/60 and 90 day photos seeing as I am keeping them. so on july 17th, I'll roll out my new stuff and you guys can decide for yourself if you want to do a systematized regimen.

Like kungfu, or anything, I truly believe commitment is key and your only barrier is YOU. There is no blame! :)

Commit!

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

How is everyone hanging in? 5 weeks left until summer. Mother's Day was hard but I did make the time to workout. Food was not so healthy though! Hopefully everyone is still pushing through. Next week will be one month and then you'll truly feel summer in the air. I'm in NY and Spring is having a hard time showing its face this year. I am sure as the weather gets nicer and the days get longer it will be an added push. Good Luck to all!

[RickMatz]

I'm training almost everyday. I have to admit that sometimes I am weak. However, training is like gravity. You can get away from it only for a little while, then it draws you right back.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

ONE MONTH UNTIL SUMMER!

How is everyone doing? Still in?

[David Jamieson]

For what it's worth, the P90X people I've seen look like they put on a bit of muscle. On the other hand, the science of what they do logically runs counter to that, and it could be an illusion brought on by decreased bodyfat.

For example, working out six days a week will not give your body time to build muscle before the next workout as it's still trying to recuperate from what you did the day before. I know that Horton claims this is bypassed by the variable workouts, but it dosen't hold up in a lab. It's well understood that physiologically you can only systemically sustain stressful workouts (dosen't matter if the source is weights, yoga, cardio etc.) for so long before you start to catabolize muscle.

I know that I can hardly recover between the martial arts and weights that I do now, so I don't think I could handle P90X on top of it.

Still, I'm curious to see where David goes with it, because he obviously knows what he's doing...

Well, this is not actually the way it is.

you do have extreme variation between cardio light and heavy, to yoga to weight lifting.

you do have recovery weeks at the end of each cycle and combined with the portional recovery of the variation, this does work. I am just finished week five and yes, you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, like any other rigourous routine will do.

so, you basically have a recovery day every week and a recovery week every month.

Horton does understand that exercise is the architect and rest is the builder. I think he actually puts it in those terms.

Seriously, my only issues with p90x is that Horton talks too much during the sessions, but luckily, you can Mute him! hooray! hahaha.

There is a lot of things in these routines that I will be taking with me into the future.

Best 100 bucks i spent, it's a cool system and if you commit, it will deliver.

I do not recommend the program for anyone who isn't already in decent shape, so if you are slightly obese and not really much of an exerciser, this would be a terrible buy for you. It would kill you on day one and then gather dust. lol :)

so, keep that in mind if yer gonna give it a go.

I've lost 8 lbs in and gained same in muscle. cool eh. 5 weeks girls, 5 weeks! 7 to go and then i'll cycle into a more rigourous MA cycle that will really tick off my training partners. hahaha.

[sanjuro_ronin]

How do you guys find that time for all that?

[David Jamieson]

How do you guys find that time for all that?

It's an hour a day. Maybe 2. How can you not find the time for it?

[sanjuro_ronin]

It's an hour a day. Maybe 2. How can you not find the time for it?

LOL !
Own business, married, 2 kids...time ??? what is that ?

[David Jamieson]

LOL !
Own business, married, 2 kids...time ??? what is that ?


make the trade somewhere.

get rid of a couple of tv watching slots. or, have your kids join you for a session of their own? I dunno, I do know that if there is time to be found, you can make the time.

I always found that about stuff like kungfu or exercise in general that I always had to find and make the time to do it and that I always gave up something else.

most of the time is was surf time or tv time or other stuff that didn't amount to much in the way of developing Dave as a person. :)

getting your kids active would only be a good thing as you know. Mommy may have to help out here if Daddy wants an effective work out though.

kids are in need of so much attention after all.

[sanjuro_ronin]

make the trade somewhere.

get rid of a couple of tv watching slots. or, have your kids join you for a session of their own? I dunno, I do know that if there is time to be found, you can make the time.

I always found that about stuff like kungfu or exercise in general that I always had to find and make the time to do it and that I always gave up something else.

most of the time is was surf time or tv time or other stuff that didn't amount to much in the way of developing Dave as a person. :)

getting your kids active would only be a good thing as you know. Mommy may have to help out here if Daddy wants an effective work out though.

kids are in need of so much attention after all.

TV ???
BBWWAAAHHH !!!!
What's that ?
LOL !


Seriously, I wake up every morning at 5 to do an hour workout ( ok, more like 45 min) and When I get home or go to the gym, I put in another 60-90 everyday, you think I have time to ADD another hour???

Dude !!!
:eek:

[David Jamieson]

TV ???
BBWWAAAHHH !!!!
What's that ?
LOL !


Seriously, I wake up every morning at 5 to do an hour workout ( ok, more like 45 min) and When I get home or go to the gym, I put in another 60-90 everyday, you think I have time to ADD another hour???

Dude !!!
:eek:

didn't say that.

If in context you are thinking of doing p90x, it is only 90 days and you can replace one of the current routines you are doing with it. That's what I did. Just put the kungfu on the passenger side for a bit, use it now and then, but focus on the 90 day trip to a better physique overall. :)

[sanjuro_ronin]

didn't say that.

If in context you are thinking of doing p90x, it is only 90 days and you can replace one of the current routines you are doing with it. That's what I did. Just put the kungfu on the passenger side for a bit, use it now and then, but focus on the 90 day trip to a better physique overall. :)

Blasphemy !!!

Ninjas have been sent to shrink your underwear 3 sizes !!

[David Jamieson]

I've been doing sil lum kungfu almost every day for almost 15 years years now both in formal training/learning and in my own space. Prior to that it was tkd, boxing, wrestling, fencing and isshin karate.

I think I can shelve it for 90 days and try out some new stuff. :-)

i've looked at tons of other material and tried quite a few things over the years.

most stuff was no where near as comprehensive in the method, system or materials offered.
I gotta stop talking about this, I feel like a freakin shoe salesman now. lol

anyway, try it! It's good! and that's all i am goin to say about it from now on. :)

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

switched to body building style regimin and started doing 30 second sprints with satan this week.

my first taste of higher reps in about 8 months ... just a few weeks after squatting 350, i loaded up 235 on the bar and figured id bust out 3 sets of 8 with some effort, but no real problem. i barely made 3 sets of 5 and couldnt walk for days. i dont get it as sheiko had me doing tons of tripples with 275 and up, but im getting the hang of the higher reps. last workout i squatted 210 for 3 sets of 8 with about 60 seconds in between sets and it wasn't easy, but it wasn't failure. the sprints are killing my legs, but ill get used to it.

diet has been cleaned up ... even cheat meals are fairly clean and homemade. no beer for 4 weeks :(

was only able to train once while on vacation last week, but i learned that machines can be brutal if you check your ego at the door and really focus on the contraction.

finally started logging workouts and food ... will try to eventually get the training log up on the site.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

It is June...3 weeks left for the challenge! How is everyone doing? I have to admit I thought it would get easier as summer got closer, but there are so many more challenges with bbq's, friends, and time. Hang in.

[David Jamieson]

lol. still going great, although drinking water while everybody gets soused is a bit of a drag. lol

it is now a hobby of mine to watch people go from sober to drunk and to time them as they do so. Most take about 3-4 hours to get a bit glazed.

there's probably some value in that data. even though i am the sole member of the control "group" :)

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

lol. still going great, although drinking water while everybody gets soused is a bit of a drag. lol

it is now a hobby of mine to watch people go from sober to drunk and to time them as they do so. Most take about 3-4 hours to get a bit glazed.

there's probably some value in that data. even though i am the sole member of the control "group" :)

If you timed me it would be more like 30-45 minutes! LOL

Less than 2 weeks left!!!

[RickMatz]

I'm still with you!

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

Wow, we are in that last week. Final push, lovin' it!:p

[RickMatz]

My kung fu has become so powerful that if I even warm up, my OWN head will explode!

[David Jamieson]

my 90 day cycle isn't finished until july 17.

I'm in week 9 with 4 weeks and 5 days to go.

After doing my homework and arduous research, I have started a cycle of creatine for the last 4 weeks just to add a little extra muscle where i can so i am lowering my reps and upping my weight.

I used to be against the supplement creatine until i did a crap load of readong about it.

anyway, in the end and in my opinion, for the most part, it is fine.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I killed my neighbour with my pinky.
I may have over done it on the chi training...

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

HAPPY SUMMER! I hope if you were involved in the challenge you took something away with you. No need to ever stop, don't you think? Enjoy the season!