Round 3 / Day 2: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Having done more than a few push-ups yesterday, it wasn't easy staying in plank position for the repeated Level 1 Drill / Ski Abs / In-Out Abs sequences in today's Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout. But overall, revisiting this familiar workout turned out to be more pleasant than I'd expected. It's nice to finally be able to finish an Insanity session (albeit a non-Max one) without collapsing afterwards.

Poached Chicken Breasts

Here's an easy recipe for super-moist, super-healthy poached chicken breasts that M modified from one on Just Bento:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ~1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• ~1 1/2 cups water

Place the breasts in a medium saucepan, and add the liquid until the chicken is just covered. Cook the suckers on high until the liquid boils; then turn the breasts over, take the pan off the heat, and cover it with a lid.

Let the pan rest off the heat for about 15 minutes. When done, the chicken breasts should still be springy and not too firm. But if they're still too soft (and pink inside), flip the breasts over and let them rest a few minutes more in the pan with the lid on.

We like to shred the chicken for salads, but you can add it to just about anything -- soups, wraps, stir-fries, etc. Or just keep the cooked breasts in the fridge or freezer until you're in the mood for some quick, lean protein.

You Say Tomato, I Say Potato

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (you know, the Food Network's "Naked Chef") is giving a nutrition makeover to the town of Huntington, West Virginia.

In "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," which premieres March 26 on ABC, he tries to clean up the eating act of Huntington, W.Va. That town was chosen -- of course! -- because according to a 2008 Centers of Disease Control and Prevention report, it's the unhealthiest city in America. Read about Huntington in this AP story. Nearly half the population over the age of 20 is obese, the article says, and there are more pizza places listed in the phone book than there are gyms and health clubs in the entire state. Can Jamie make a difference??

Oliver did just win the TED prize for his efforts to battle obesity. Here's his terrific (and terrifically sobering) TED talk:



I hope his efforts leave a lasting impact in West Virginia (and across the U.S.). From the clips of his show seen in the video above, it's clear our kids could use some edumacatin' about food.

Round 3 / Day 1: P90X+ Upper Body Plus + Abs / Core Plus

And away we go.

For the inaugural workout of Round 3, I decided to start with Upper Body Plus and Abs / Core Plus from P90X+. This was my first gander at P90X+, which is marketed to P90X grads who want to "break through plateaus with intense new cardio, muscle chiseling, and ab/core-ripping moves to ramp up your results." In all-caps, Beachbody screams: "TAKE YOUR WORKOUT TO THE NEXT LEVEL!"

And if that doesn't convince you to try P90X+, "Jason Scheff, lead singer of the band Chicago, scored all-new music exclusively for P90X Plus while completing his first round of P90X!" (Jason who? I haven't listened to Chicago since the 8-track era, but what happened to Peter Cetera?)

More -- including a full review of Upper Plus -- after the jump.

Live to 100?

Good news if you're still in elementary school: Danish researchers believe that most people born in developed countries this century will live to be 100. In fact, the researchers claim,

since the 20th century, people in developed countries are living around three decades longer than in the past. Now some believe that this figure could go even higher. If improvements in health continues, "a majority of children born since the year 2000 will celebrate their hundredth birthday," states James Vaupel, of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, in Rostock, Germany.

Tips on how to live to 100 are summarized on the graphic above (click the image to enlarge), though I have to take issue with the advice to "Have a Baby Later in Life." The writer appears to have confused correlation with causation; while it may be true that "those who have babies later in life are almost 15% less likely to die during any age after 50 than those who had babies before age 40," this is likely due to the fact that women who choose to have children later in life are disproportionately wealthier and more educated -- and therefore more likely to be able to afford and enjoy the benefits of healthier lifestyles and better healthcare. There's no evidence to support the "surprising tip" that waiting to have a kid until after age 40 directly causes you to live longer.

(Source: Executive Healthcare)

Round 3: Monster Mash-Up Schedule

I'm sure I'm going to keep tinkering with this, but here's my current plan for Round 3:



This monstrosity is a mash-up of workouts from P90X, Insanity, P90X+, Turbulence Training, RKC Kettlebell Training, and a bunch of One-on-One with Tony Horton DVDs.

I know: It's a little messy, and it requires a shitload of DVDs. Plus, this program takes 105 days instead of a nice, round 90. But I tried to make this concoction as balanced as possible, while prioritizing variety and periodization. I also wanted to make sure that no single day's exercise session lasts longer than a typical P90X workout. (Even the Turbulence Training / Kettlebell / Abs days should take less than an hour to complete.)

As with my Round 2 P90X/Insanity Hybrid, I'm not recommending that you try this with me. I'm certainly no fitness expert; I'm just a regular schmoe who's mixing everything together for the hell of it. And like many experiments, this could very well blow up in my face.

But until then, it'll be fun.

Post-Round 2 Recovery Week: One-on-One with Tony Horton - Fountain of Youth + Recovery 4 Results

I broke down and fed the Beachbody machine by purchasing both P90X+ and a bunch of "One-on-One with Tony Horton" DVDs (which I'll just call "1-on-1" going forward for the sake of my tired, tired fingers).

(The packaging, by the way, is mystifying. The four P90X+ DVDs each came separately in cellophane-wrapped, full-sized plastic cases. The pricier 1-on-1 DVDs in the Volume One set, on the other hand, come in a flimsy cardboard-sleeve booklet, just like the original P90X discs. Why the special treatment for the cheaper P90X+ discs? My gut -- and I hope I'm wrong -- is that Beachbody felt the need to gussy up the P90X+ packaging to compensate for the rushed-to-market, low-rent nature of the videos.)

Anyway, I decided to try out the 1-on-1 Fountain of Youth DVD last night. It's like manna from heaven: An abbreviated, greatest-hits version of the Yoga X workout. (Sadly, it doesn't include Crane.) Yoga X is great if you have 90 minutes to slowly work into each of the moves, but Fountain of Youth -- clocking in at just 48 minutes -- is a godsend for those of us with actual lives.



This morning, still feeling sore from swinging a kettlebell, I popped in the 1-on-1 Recovery 4 Results video. This one gets high marks, too. Tony crams in a good amount of stretching, yoga, and even some light cardio and resistance work into this 38-minute session.



I don't know if it's because both of these videos feature relatively mellow workouts, or because I'm starting to appreciate Tony more, but the douche factor is surprisingly low -- especially in light of all the lame jokes and excessive camera-mugging shown in the 1-on-1 commercials.

This Looks Dangerous

Why are former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and his girlfriend working out in the buff?



I hope they have disinfectant wipes at the ready.

P90X Yoga X Review

When I started P90X, I was almost contemptuous of the Yoga X DVD. “People do yoga to relax,” I thought to myself. “I don't want to relax. P90X is supposed to be extreme, goddammit.”

Sure, the moves were challenging and I totally sucked at most of them, but I chalked it up to the fact that I've always been sorely lacking in coordination, flexibility and balance. After my first couple of clumsy, pratfall-filled Yoga X sessions, I felt like I was wasting my time.

I was wrong.

My Yoga X review, after the jump.

Post-Round 2 Recovery Week: RKC Man Maker + P90X Ab Ripper X

More test-driving today. On this morning's agenda: kettlebell training -- more specifically, Pavel Tsatsouline's "New RKC Program Minimum" from "Enter the Kettlebell!" As Tsatsouline puts it:

The New RKC Program Minimum will deliver

• The conditioning of a world-class fighter;
• Rapid fat loss without the dishonor of aerobics;
• A back of steel;
• Muscular, flexible, and resilient shoulders;
• A skill base for the rest of the RKC drills.

Regardless of your goals, a simple routine of swings and get-ups makes a powerful introduction to RKC training ... these two moves will give you the biggest bang for your kettlebell buck.

The New RKC Program Minimum consists of two simple but ass-kicking workouts:

1.  Twice a week, do 12 continuous minutes of "Man Maker" training. What's a Man Maker, you ask? "Its template is simple: alternate sets of high-rep kettlebell drills -- swings in our case -- with a few hundred yards of jogging. Do your swings 'to a comfortable stop' most of the time and all-out occasionally." Sounds easy, but it's hard as hell.

[UPDATED: Just to clarify, the Man Maker video clip below shows snatches, not swings. I'm not yet proficient enough to do rep after rep of snatches without something going horribly, horribly wrong.]



2.  Twice a week, do 5 continuous minutes of Turkish Get-Ups, switching hands with every rep. Get-Ups sound easy, but aren't: You start by lying on your back holding a kettlebell up in the air with a straight arm, and "without jerking or unlocking the elbow, stand up and then slowly lie back down."



I did the Man Maker today, but instead of running, I did jumping jacks. And even after adding Ab Ripper X at the end, my total workout time today totaled less than half an hour. But it was brutal nonetheless. Ab Ripper X wasn't any more challenging than usual, but the kettlebell swings were exhausting. This is classic HIIT combined with resistance training for the legs. By the end, my glutes and hamstrings were on fire.

Quite frankly, I was worried I wouldn't be made into a man.

There's Poo In Your Salad

Consumer Reports recently tested 16 brands of pre-packaged salad greens. After sampling 208 containers -- none past their use-by date -- it found "bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination—in some cases, at rather high levels."

We tested for total coliforms and for other bacteria, including enterococcus, that are better indicators of fecal contamination. Federal action limits exist for indicator organisms in water, raw meat, milk, and some processed foods, but not produce. Those organisms are typically used to gauge possible pathogen contamination.

Several industry experts we consulted suggested that for leafy greens, an unacceptable level of total coliforms or enterococcus is 10,000 or more colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) or a comparable estimate. In our tests, 39 percent of samples exceeded that level for total coliforms and 23 percent for enterococcus.

According to the report, "[w]hether the greens came in a clamshell or bag, included 'baby' greens, or were organic made no difference." Nor is contamination limited to off-brands; in fact, "brands for which we had more than four samples, including national brands Dole, Earthbound Farm Organic, and Fresh Express, plus regional and store brands, had at least one package with relatively high levels of total coliforms or enterococcus."

Lesson: Wash your salad greens.

Turkey Meatballs

For dinner tonight, M made Ellie Krieger's super-healthy turkey meatballs, which I enjoyed so much I thought I'd pass along the recipe:

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound lean ground turkey meat
• 1 slice whole-wheat bread, crusts removed and pulsed into crumbs in a food processor
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 large minced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your boiler. Spray a baking sheet with the cooking spray. Combine all the other ingredients in a big bowl. Form into 2.5-inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Broil until browned and almost entirely cooked through (about 10 minutes). Simmer in spaghetti sauce (we like Rao's marinara sauce) for 10 minutes.

(Source: Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave")

Post-Round 2 Recovery Week: Original Turbulence Training Workout A + Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

And now for something completely different.

I know I'm only a few days into my post-Round 2 recovery week, but I got a little restless this morning and decided to give Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training a try.

The super-ripped Ballantyne (pictured above) -- a fitness trainer, author and entrepreneur -- has been developing and refining his Turbulence Training workout program over the past decade. Using his website, he sells downloadable e-books that guide users through various iterations of Turbulence Training; in addition, paying members can access Ballantyne's online forum (similar to the Beachbody.com forums) to get coaching, support and advice.

Knowing that some of you have had success with one or more of Ballantyne's programs, I started looking into Turbulence Training a while back. Initially, I was turned off by the sheer ugliness of the Turbulence Training website -- it's cluttered and difficult to navigate, and its dizzying use of various font sizes, styles and colors made my eyeballs want to shrivel up like prunes and fall out of my head. Even more problematic was the fact that I couldn't differentiate between the products and packages offered for sale. Ballantyne desperately needs to hire a new web designer. (Of course, it's very possible that I'm just a tasteless idiot.)

But once I finally decided to plunk down $40 for the "Basic" Turbulence Training package and flipped through the materials, I was impressed by the content. Ballantyne's created a number of different exercise routines suitable for beginners and advanced athletes alike. Each workout combines brief (but intense) supersets of compound heavy-resistance exercises and interval training, giving users a full-body workout that doesn't eat up hours of time. Turbulence Training's greatest selling point is that it's meant to help you torch calories, burn fat, and build muscle -- all in a time-efficient way. Each workout is designed to take only about 45 minutes in total.

More after the jump...

Buns of Steal

I like to think of myself as thrifty, but Julia Newman takes frugality to a whole 'nother level. As The Consumerist writes:

With the exception of parking and affordable homes, there's a lot of everything in New York City... especially gyms. With this surplus of workout spots, they are all fighting to get a sweaty, muscled grip on your wallet. A 24-year-old law student in the Big Apple not only saw an opportunity to exploit this competition and score some free workouts, she's also blogging about her attempt to make it through the entire year without paying for the gym.

Julia has snagged free passes to Equinox, David Barton Gym, Crunch, and a bunch of other places, and is blogging about her exploits on Buns of Steal.

I wish I'd thought of this when I was a cash-poor law student. Instead, I was busy stuffing my face while watching reruns of "The Simpsons." Good times.

Post-Round 2 Recovery Week: P90X Yoga X

How can yoga feel so good and so bad at the same time?

My hamstrings are super-tight, and my lower back is achy, so it felt great to stretch out and run through a billion sun salutations. But shortly after starting the 90-minute session, it quickly became obvious that my flexibility and balance aren't what they used to be. I couldn't even hold Tree position without wobbling, which is pretty pathetic. Round 2 was clearly yoga-deficient, and I'm definitely going to have to reincorporate yoga into my routine going forward.

Link Dump

Time for a big dump. Warning: I'm in a preachy mood.

Evidently, the U.S. and Canada are the two laziest countries on earth.

So get off the couch and look for ways to live longer and healthier.

Take advantage of every opportunity to exercise -- like during your daily commute.

But don’t waste your time doing sit-ups:

[A] Youngstown State University study, published in the October 2009 edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, separated 71 men and women into three groups. The control group did no sit-ups. The other two groups performed three sets of 20 repetitions (30 seconds rest between sets) of three distinct abs exercises for 11 weeks. Group One performed the sit-ups three times a week on non-consecutive days and Group 2 trained the abs six days per week. The ab exercises increased in difficulty every four weeks and speed was regulated by a metronome.

The results surprised even the researchers. None of the three groups of exercisers demonstrated any strength gains. Nor did they reduce their waist circumference or percentage of body fat.

And try to eat better. Don’t eat so fast. By eating at a slower pace, you’ll feel fuller and reduce your caloric intake.

And while you’re at it, dine out less often. Restaurant fare can be deceptively unhealthy:

Salads, long touted as a virtuous choice, are a prime example. At IHOP, the grilled chicken Caesar salad has 1,210 calories, far more than the patty melt, which comes in at 750 calories. At Baja Fresh, a chicken tostada has 1,140 calories and 14 grams of saturated fat.

If you figure that the average person needs 2,000 calories a day, it's sobering to learn that more than half that amount can easily be consumed in a restaurant breakfast alone. And don't forget sodium. The recommended daily limit is 2,400 milligrams a day (1,500 milligrams for those who are middle-aged, are in certain ethnic groups or have conditions such as high blood pressure). Many restaurant dishes contain more than you should have in a whole day.

But you already know that, unless you're one of the few survey respondents who believe that Taco Bell helps people lose weight.

Lastly, when you’re feeling too tired to exercise, consider Aaron Heo’s regular fitness routine:

His typical workout lasts 3 1/2 hours. An hour, sometimes 90 minutes, is cardio work, a relentless regimen of 1,000-meter sprints at breakneck speed. The rest of the time is devoted to a lengthy warm-up, followed by stamina, strength and flexibility work. That can mean 1,000 to 2,000 squats per session, along with stretching, jogging and plyometrics. Then he strains against a canvas belt held by a bigger, stronger friend or coach: back and forth, over and over again.

He does this, on average, four days a week. Another two days a week, he trains on his own.

Aaron is 10 years old.

Post-Round 2 Recovery Week: P90X Core Synergistics

I've sorely missed Core Synergistics, and was glad to kick off my post-Round 2 recovery week with this DVD. It's moderately challenging without being crazy-intense, and gave me a chance to recover while still getting a full-body workout. Along with Chest & Back and Yoga X, this rounds out my list of three favorite P90X videos.

Yabba Dabba Doo Time

In the Comments section, Ben pointed me to this video of John Durant's appearance on “The Colbert Report”:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
John Durant
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care reform

Durant, as you might recall from this post, was featured in a recent New York Times piece about modern cavemen -- strict adherents to the Paleo Diet whose exercise routines emphasize natural movement.

(I especially enjoyed Durant’s jokey description of the perfect girl to share his cave: A meat-eating, lactose intolerant girl with celiac disease. And by the way, did you notice that Durant is wearing Vibram FiveFingers?)

It’s easy to dismiss Durant as just another attention-craving New York hipster glomming onto an obscure fad for the sake of getting noticed. But if you can get past all that, there’s some really interesting stuff beneath the surface. Even if you’re never going to give up eating grilled cheese sandwiches and don’t plan on running through a jungle and pole-vaulting onto a bunch of boulders, we can all learn a little something from the caveman lifestyle.

First, let's start with the article that generated the current mainstream interest in Durant and his fellow modern cavemen: "The New Age Cavemen and the City."

The article quotes Loren Cordain, a professor at Colorado State University and the author of “The Paleo Diet,” who discusses the source of the caveman movement to a 25-year-old New England Journal of Medicine article, which stated that the "diet of our remote ancestors may be a reference standard for modern human nutrition." Cordain offers quite a bit of information on this approach to nutrition on his website, and he's also written a number of books on this subject, including "The Paleo Diet for Athletes," which may be of particular interest to you hardcore P90Xers. In it, he describes "the essential dietary principles for the Paleo Diet for Athletes":

You can eat as much lean meat, poultry, seafood, fresh fruit, and veggies as you like. Foods that are not part of the modern-day Paleolithic fare include cereal grains, dairy products, high-glycemic fruits and vegetables, legumes, alcohol, salty foods, fatty meats, refined sugars, and nearly all processed foods.

There are a number of crucial exceptions to these fundamental rules ... Case in point: Immediately before, during, and after a workout or competition, certain non-Paleo foods should be eaten to promote a quick recovery. During all other times, meals that closely follow the 21st-century Paleolithic diet ... will encourage comprehensive long-term recovery and allow you to attain your maximal performance potential.

Wikipedia features a lengthy article about the paleolithic diet, too.

The New York Times article also mentions Erwan Le Corre, one of the "patriarchs of the paleo movement," who has been called "one of the most all-around physically fit men on the planet." Le Corre is the founder of a survival-based physical discipline called MovNat. Here's a video of Le Corre doing his thing:



Last year, Le Corre was profiled in Men's Health magazine by Christopher McDougall. The article, entitled "A Wild Workout for the Real World," is an engrossing read. McDougall, who's best known for writing the bestselling "Born to Run" (the book that first got me and just about everyone else hooked on barefoot running), visited Le Corre's training base in the Brazilian rainforest, and after three days, ran a 12-station obstacle course in the jungle, "springing up into trees, contorting through the branches, and shinnying down 15-foot poles."

[Le Corre] has us hoisting heavy logs on end and flipping them, top over bottom, up a hill. He has us crawling around stakes in the ground and snaking on our bellies beneath an overturned dugout canoe mounted a few inches off the ground. Even a small cabin comes into play: He has us vaulting through one window and out the other.

As I approach the end of my second lap, I have only two obstacles left -- a leap from the porch and then a quick climb up a 20-foot pole braced between the ground and a branch high in a tree. I'm trying not to show it, but I'm on the verge of grinning with pride. Two days ago, my heart was in my throat before every jump. Now, after just 72 hours, I feel unstoppable.

As McDougall's article points out, Le Corre's MovNat is based on Méthode Naturelle, an approach to survival fitness pioneered by Georges Hébert at the turn of the last century. Hébert's teachings greatly influenced the development of parkour and freerunning.

And to tie all of this back to P90X, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Mark Sisson -- the P90X supplement creator who pops up in those post-workout commercials for overpriced Beachbody supplements -- is the author of "The Primal Blueprint," a diet book rooted in paleo concepts. You can read more about it on Sisson's blog.

Some think that eating and running like our prehistoric ancestors is stupid and weird. To them, it's just a fad -- a momentary, knee-jerk throwback that ignores all the progress we've made as a species. But clearly, there are those who believe that technology -- including processed foods (even grains) and highly-engineered footwear -- are getting in the way of true human potential.

I, for one, am not about to ditch grains and dairy altogether (although I'm largely abstemious of both already). Plus, I'm naturally risk-averse, and you won't find me heaving large rocks while balancing on a tree branch. But I am considering whether to reasonably fit some paleo concepts (e.g., limiting intake of grains and dairy, focusing on functional exercise, etc.) into my diet and fitness routine.

FitBit vs. BodyBugg

Elizabeth Sherman has posted an exhaustive four-part (so far!) comparison of the FitBit versus the BodyBugg. No stone was left unturned, so if you're considering which one to buy but feel like you still need to continue researching these products, there's something seriously wrong with you.

Insanity Fit Test (Part Deux)

I hadn't revisited the Insanity Fit Test since starting Round 2, mostly because I'm deathly afraid of it. As you might recall, I barely made it through my first attempt at the Fit Test. But now that I've completed my 90-day P90X/Insanity Hybrid, I was curious to see how much (or even if) I've improved -- before all my gains disappear with the onset of laziness and inertia.

My post-Round 2 Fit Test results, after the jump...

Swinging

A study published by the American Council on Exercise confirms that kettlebell routines torch calories:

The study involved 10 men and women between the ages of 29-46 who performed a typical kettlebell workout by doing kettlebell swinging and lift exercises to a certain rhythm during a 20-minute period. All were experienced with the use of kettlebells. The participants' fitness levels were measured before and during the workout by measuring heart rate, oxygen consumption, and blood lactate. The results showed that the average participant burned about 20 calories per minute during the kettlebell workout, which equates to 400 calories during a typical 20-minute kettlebell workout.

Researchers say that's equivalent to running a six-minute mile or cross-country skiing uphill at a fast pace.

I've been intermittently swinging my kettlebell to get the hang of it, but I guess it's time to start practicing in earnest.

Round 2 / Day 90: P90X X Stretch

Round 2: Done and done.

Minimalist Shoes for Office Dwellers

As you know, I'm a big fan of Vibram FiveFingers, but have I told you how much I also love my Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot shoes?

I bought my first pair of Vivos (black Dharmas) a few months ago -- mostly because I was getting a few too many weird looks from co-workers when I wore my FiveFingers to the office -- and my feet (and knees and shins) have never felt better. The soles are thinner in the heel than even FiveFingers, and the toe box is flat and wide enough for me to spread and flex my toes with room to spare. It's the next best thing to going barefoot at work, and when I trek around town, I can feel my arch and calf strength continuing to build.

The shoes are pliable and soft, with no break-in time required. The slip-on Dharmas are also awesome for air travel -- they're off and on again in a flash at the security gate, and they're comfortable on the plane. It feels like you're wearing slippers all the time.

The drawback, though, is that you also look like you're wearing slippers all the time. The super-wide front of the shoe isn't the most attractive thing in the world -- but for me, the pros outweigh the cons.

If you're interested, here's a detailed review of Vivo Barefoot shoes. And if you're thinking about buying a pair, remember to: (1) buy a size bigger than you normally wear (they run small), and (2) look for a coupon code online.

The other day, I pulled on my (barely used) cross-trainers just to take out the trash; I felt like I was balancing on stilts, and my feet were encased in foam. These days, the only shoes I wear are Vivos, Vibrams, and very occasionally, my well-loved Chuck Taylors -- shoes with little to no support or sole. I work out with Vibrams or barefoot, even when jumping around like crazy. And yet my knee troubles and shin splints are gone.

(You can't see me, but I'm knocking on wood.)


[UPDATE: Birthday Shoes recently posted a lengthy review of Vivo Barefoot shoes, and also has a 30%-off coupon code (valid through March 6, 2010).]


[UPDATE 2: M tells me that Amazon sells (some styles of) Terra Plana shoes at an even steeper discount (and with free shipping, too). Not all of the styles shown here are Vivo Barefoots, though, so if you're unsure, check the Terra Plana website first.]

Round 2 / Day 89: 100 Pull-Ups, 200 Push-Ups + P90X Ab Ripper X

I'm trying to slowly but surely increase the number of reps I do with weights strapped to my belt. Today: 35 pull-ups with a 20 pounds of weight strapped to my belt, 35 pull-ups with 10 extra pounds, and another 30 pull-ups with no extra weight. Not much more than last week, though I added another 50 push-ups. Baby steps, I guess.

When Tony Met Craig

Not too long ago, Craig Ballantyne (creator of Turbulence Training) interviewed Tony Horton, and posted a link to the audio here.

I quickly lost count of the celebrities that Tony name-checked (Tom Petty! Pink! Annie Lennox! Billy Idol! Ashton Kutcher! Usher!), but overall, Tony comes across as thoughtful, well-spoken, inspirational, and thoroughly un-douchey. He discusses how he got into personal training, how he transitioned into making home fitness videos, and his fitness and diet regimen. It's good stuff. (Really.)

(More about Turbulence Training from The Fitness Black Book here, and more about Craig Ballantyne here.)

What Happens Next?

Now that I'm just about done with Round 2, I'm starting to plan for Round 3, though I'm not yet sure what that's going to look like. Pavel Tsatsouline's RKC Kettlebell training, P90X+, One-on-One with Tony Horton, Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training -- all are presently under consideration. But ideally, I'd like to cobble together a Frankenstein-monster of a hybid routine, picking and choosing from exercises and workouts in P90X, Insanity, and some (but probably not all) of the programs above.

For Round 3, to stave off boredom, I'm determined to add more variety. So while I'm not sure I can mash up a bunch of different workout programs into a cohesive whole (especially without the risk of overtraining), I might try to do it anyway.

More to come...

What To Do With Old Cookware

This is awesome yet bizarre:



(Source: Iron Claw Training)

Round 2 / Day 88: Insanity Max Interval Plyo

Here's the thing: When both the artwork printed on the DVD and the menu screen on the video shows Tania launching into a Diamond Jump, you know you're going to have to do this move at some point in the workout.

So after completing 95 percent of the workout with no Diamond Jumps in sight, you start thinking to yourself, "WTF? When's Shaun T going to bust out my least favorite move?"

Answer: During the second-to-last exercise in the hour-long session -- after you're totally exhausted and your hair is plastered to your sweaty face like you're Steve Nash in triple-overtime.

I'm done with you, Shaun T. (At least for Round 2.)

Yoga Pisses Off Convicts

I don't know how I missed this, but a few years ago, a Norwegian prison "suspended yoga classes for prisoners" because it "caused the inmates to become restive and violent."

"The reactions we received from the prisoners who participated in the classes were very varied, ranging from completely positive to completely negative," Mr Hagen reportedly wrote in a letter to the group. On the negative side, the yoga had provoked "strong reactions: agitation, aggression, irritability, trouble sleeping and mental confusion", he said.

Just imagine if they had to do yoga for an hour-and-a-half.

Oh, Give Me A Home / Where The Buffalo Get Eaten

After my noontime haircut today (which was long past-due -- it was starting to look like I was wearing a dessicated sheepdog on my head), I went in search of food. Problem: I was in San Francisco's Union Square, where tourists (and tourist traps) are aplenty but good (and healthy) food is scarce.

I decided to try Hubert Keller's Burger Bar. The San Francisco location been open for a few months now, but despite my love of all things sandwiched between (whole wheat) burger buns, I've avoided it because: (1) I've been trying to stick to my P90X diet (especially while at work), (2) I can't stand Union Square, and (3) the early reviews have been decidedly un-good. Still, it was close by, and I was starving.

I sat at the bar and ordered a buffalo burger. Buffalo (or, actually, bison) meat is relatively low-fat and low-calorie, though I promptly offset all the fat- and calorie-savings by topping the patty with avocado, cheddar cheese and a fried egg.

My take? The bun was too dense, and it was smeared with butter. (I ended up scooping out the insides of the buns anyway -- a trick I learned from a friend who wanted to simultaneously reduce her carb intake and create a pocket for all the extra toppings so they wouldn't fall out of her burger.) The cheddar was too mild to register any flavor, and the burger was way too big and unwieldy. And the price (over $20) was obscene.

That said, the buffalo patty was pretty damn good; it was savory and juicy, and went well with the avocado and runny fried egg.

I'm not dying to return to Burger Bar anytime soon, but I'm definitely going to pick up some bison burger patties the next time I'm at Trader Joe's. (280 calories! 12 grams of fat! 43 grams of protein!)

Round 2 / Day 87: P90X Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X

Spit out your gum, Tim the Marine. You're gonna choke.

Better Than Nothing, I Guess

Although the Wii Fit has been shown to be less than effective as a fitness tool, gamers who want to get (slightly) more pumped can now purchase a pair of 2-pound dumbbell sleeves for your Wiimotes. That's like lifting eight whole sticks of butter in one hand and a 32-ounce Big Gulp in the other, people!

I was also going to say something snarky about how people need to find ways to exercise that don't involve staring at a television screen, but I suppose the pot shouldn't talk trash about the kettle.

(Source: Engadget)

Round 2 / Day 86: Insanity Max Interval Circuit

I didn't think I'd ever be able to say this, but I'm starting to get the hang of this workout.

This doesn't mean I don't sweat buckets -- and I mean BUCKETS -- during Max Interval Circuit, but I'm proud to announce that I'm able to get through the hour of vein-popping cardio without taking any extra breaks or vomiting even a little bit. Success!

P90X Shoulders & Arms Review

After my first two days of P90X, I was worried I wouldn't make it through Week One -- let alone the entire 90 days. After all, my ass had been thoroughly handed to me by Chest & Back and Plyo. It wasn't until I encountered the Shoulders & Arms workout that I finally thought, "Hey! I can do this!"

After the jump: My review of P90X Shoulders & Arms.

One-On-One?

Has anyone tried Tony Horton's One-on-One workout series? Would you recommend it?



I'm trying to decide whether to subscribe to the series, order the Volume 1 set, pick and choose a few of the individual DVDs, or avoid the series altogether. The variety of the workouts appeals to me and I know Tony can offer up some challenging moves. But frankly, I'm not sure how much one-on-one time with Tony I can take. Another sticking point: Compared with P90X and Insanity, the price per DVD is ridiculously high.

Thoughts? Recommendations? Leave a comment or shoot me an email. Thankyouverymuch.

Round 2 / Day 85: P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Ab Ripper X

The kids spent the night at their grandparents, so I got up late (6 a.m.!) to exercise. And given that I didn't need to rush through my workout today (no diapers to change! no breakfast to make!), I took my time with Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and Ab Ripper X. For the first time in weeks, I stayed with Tony's pace; I didn't zoom ahead, nor did I skip the warm-up stretches or cool-down exercises. And as a result, I was able to increase both my reps and weights pretty substantially today.

In my frantic rush to squeeze in my daily workouts before the kids got up in the morning, I'd overlooked the importance of taking a few recovery breaks. Now I know, and knowing's half the battle.

How to Mount Your Laptop to Your Exercise Equipment

The perfect fitness solution for those of you with Internet Addiction Disorder:

(Source: ManMade)

Link Dump

Happy surfing, y'all:

• Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight because the captain concluded that he was too damn fat and therefore posed a "safety risk." (This wouldn't have happened to Kelly Osbourne.)

• CNN's talking about barefoot running. Have we reached a tipping point yet?

• Two multi-million-dollar class action lawsuits have been filed against Jillian Michaels, the meaner of the two trainers from NBC's "The Biggest Loser," claiming that her endorsement of a less-than-effective weight loss supplement amounts to false advertising. The two named plaintiffs say that they bought Maximum Strength Calorie Control pills because Michaels endorsed the product, but later discovered to their dismay that popping the pills didn't make their fat magically disappear. (Duh.) Is it any wonder we Americans are perceived as dumb, lazy, celebrity-obsessed, overly-litigious, greedy fatties?

• Speaking of dumb: "Registered dietitian Jill Weisenberger once had a client who kept a puzzling food journal. The calorie counts were all out of whack. The woman's tuna sandwich had 33 calories. An apple: 144. Turns out the woman was mistaking a food-calorie book's index for a calorie chart." (Source: L.A. Times)

Round 2 / Day 84: Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning + Cardio Abs

During Right Kicks / Left Kicks, Shaun T walks over to Tania, who's flying through the moves. "If you can go as fast as Tania," he says to the camera, "keep up with her. If you can go faster, go faster."  I tried my damnedest, but in the end, I had to opt for Plan C: Going (much) slower than Tania.

One more week. Just one more week.

Soda = Tobacco?

"Is soda the new tobacco?" asks Mark Bittman in the New York Times.

Like cigarettes, soda is clearly a health hazard. The average American drinks about 50 gallons of soda per year, and the prevalence of sugary, fizzy beverages is linked to the explosion of obesity and diabetes in children. As Bittman points out:

[S]ugared beverages are the No. 1 source of calories in the American diet, representing 7 percent of the average person’s caloric intake, according to government surveys, and up to 10 percent for children and teenagers. These calories, they point out, are worse than useless -- they’re empty, and contribute to a daily total that is already too high.

Efforts to implement soda taxes to curb consumption are increasing, but like Big Tobacco, the soda industry continues to "market[] heavily to children, claiming their products are healthy or at worst benign, and lobbying to prevent change." In fact, Big Soda's protests are almost comically similar to the tobacco industry's claims about the folly of reducing/quitting smoking. For example:

• The president of the American Beverage Association, Susan Neely, "acknowledges that obesity is a problem but says: 'If you’re trying to manage people being overweight you need a variety of behavior changes to achieve energy balance — it can’t be done by eliminating one food from the diet.'”

• J. Justin Wilson, a senior research analyst for a soda industry-sponsored advocacy group, argues that "there is no unique link between soda and obesity.”

• PepsiCo's senior vice president of "global health policy," Derek Yach, claims that “simply pricing one product higher would lead to unknown effects on total dietary consumption. It may even lead to worse situations: people may stop spending on one food and eat more of another, so taxing high levels of sugar may lead to eating higher levels of fat.”

In other words, industry reps argue that a soda tax won't help slow the obesity epidemic, and might actually accelerate it because the thirsty hordes will rush to replace their 64-ounce Super Big Gulps with fatty death shakes or cupfuls of lard. Does this sound even remotely plausible?



If soda is truly like tobacco, then the good news is that education about the harmful effects of soda consumption will likely change people's behaviors and habits. As Bittman notes, "[t]he public war against tobacco has worked, if imperfectly: Americans smoke at half the rate they once did, half of all smokers have quit, and the tobacco companies finance strong antismoking campaigns."

I have a buddy who used to guzzle Dr. Pepper. Each day at work, he'd polish off a six-pack of the stuff while sitting at his desk. But once he came to understand exactly what it was he was ingesting, he put himself on a peculiar but effective diet, which he called "Meat-or-Soda."

The rules of the Meat-or-Soda Diet are pretty simple: Each day, you can choose to consume either meat or soda, but not both. My friend wasn't about to give up meat, so his soda consumption dropped significantly, and so did his weight.

Obviously, this isn't a diet I'd recommend to anyone who's vegetarian or otherwise already eating pretty healthfully, but it just might help move the needle for carnivores who drink nothing but soda.

Round 2 / Day 83: P90X X Stretch

During X Stretch this morning, I realized that I'm not nearly as flexible as I was just a few months ago. I don't know if it's because I'm so sore from all the jumping around I'm doing as part of my Insanity workouts, or if it's because I'm not devoting as much time to yoga or stretching these days. Likely both.

In any event, after Round 2's done, I'm going to try to regain some of my flexibility and broaden my range of motion. I'm not looking to become a contortionist, but I hate feeling brittle and creaky.

Round 2 / Day 82: 100 Pull-Ups + 150 Push-Ups + P90X Ab Ripper X

Today, I did one-third of my pull-ups with 20 pounds chained to my belt, one-third with 10 pounds chained to my belt, and one-third with no added weight.

And I think my arms are going to fall off.

P90X Plyometrics Review

A few years ago, researchers conducted an experiment to test the effects of plyometric training. Runners who’d been running for half a year were divided into two groups: One that added plyometric moves to their exercise routines, and one that didn’t. Six weeks later, the runners who did plyo work saw improvement in their running economy, while those in the control group didn’t.

Over the years, plyometric drills have been shown to improve overall athleticism -- it boosts one’s explosive power, speed, cardiovascular health, flexibility, balance, and stamina. So it’s pretty awesome that P90X devotes an hour to jump-training.

After the jump: My P90X Plyo review.

Bacon-Wrapped Sausage Stuffed with Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef Burritos

I'm pretty sure this isn't on Taco Bell's Drive-Through Diet menu.

Source: Neatorama

Round 2 / Day 81: Insanity Max Interval Plyo

With only a week or so left in Round 2, I'm kind of running out of juice. My Power Jump landings were a little wobblier than usual, and the Level 3 Drills wiped me out today. I can't wait until I'm able to take a mini-vacation nine days from now.

Round 2 / Day 80: P90X Shoulders & Arms + Ab Ripper X

Is it just me, or is Tony the only person in the Shoulders & Arms workout who hasn't shaved his armpits?

Could it be that Tony's the least vain of the bunch?

Post-Workout Carbs?

You know how the P90X Nutrition Guide tells you to ingest a relatively high-carb drink or meal immediately after your workout to boost your recovery?

This concept's already been disavowed by Mark Sisson -- the guy who created the P90X Recovery Drink -- and now, a group of scientists are backing him up, having concluded that low-carb post-workout meals are better at boosting your metabolism, energy level, and general health.

After a round of aerobic (active movement) exercise, eating a lower-carb meal helps the body store sugar from your bloodstream in muscles and other tissues, making more energy available for your life, and your next exercise, if you're fairly regular about it. The side benefit is a generally improved metabolism, and a means of helping avoid insulin insensitivity, a pre-condition that often leads to diabetes.

As part of a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers fed one of three meals to test subjects after 90 minutes of exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike. One was relatively balanced between carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and had a moderate amount of calories. One was otherwise balanced, but scaled back on the carbs. A final meal was lower-calorie, but had a higher amount of carbs. The results:

In all three exercise sessions, researchers say there was a trend for an increase in insulin sensitivity. But when the participants ate the low-carbohydrate meal following exercise, it increased their insulin sensitivity even more.

In your FACE, P90X Nutrition Guide!

Round 2 / Day 79: Insanity Max Interval Circuit

I've discovered that it's kind of difficult to do Power Strikes when your five-year-old son decides to plop down directly underneath you. Also extra-challenging? Attempting Push-Up Jacks when your little boy decides to "help out" by shoving down on your butt.

P90X Chest & Back Review

It's time I got around to actually reviewing each of the P90X workouts, don't you think?

Let's start with Chest & Back -- right after the jump.

Celebrity Fat Club

What the hell happened to K-Fed?

"I fell into a whole bunch of baby-havin'," he explained on last night's season premiere of VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club."

I had no idea men could gain and retain so much pregnancy weight.

You Know You're a P90X Addict When...

...you find out that your morning flight to D.C.'s been cancelled due to Snowmageddon Part Two and your first thought is: "Awesome! I won't have to deviate from my P90X/Insanity routine!"

Round 2 / Day 78: P90X Chest & Back + Ab Ripper X

When I first started P90X, I absolutely dreaded having to do Dive Bomber Push-Ups. I used to run out of gas before I was able to eke out any more than 6 or 8 of them. Now, I (almost) look forward to this move. Dive Bomber Push-Ups engage your entire upper body, and you also get a good back stretch during each rep when moving from Downward Dog all the way to Upward Dog and back. This particular push-up variation helps increase range of motion and flexibility in the hamstrings, shoulders and back -- and when it comes to flexibility, I need all the help I can get.

Plus, Dive Bombers aren't nearly as batshit crazy as some of the other exercises in P90X and Insanity. (Everything's relative, right?)

Because That's What Haiti Needs

Source: James Fallows / The Atlantic

Round 2 / Day 77: Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning + Cardio Abs

Two reasons why I skipped X Stretch and dove right into Max Cardio Conditioning this morning;

• I already took a rest day earlier this week when I was down with a cold; and

• I knew I was going to indulge in some serious Super Bowl snacking (e.g., chicken wings, beef skewers, chips, salsa/guacamole, chocolate chip cookies) later in the day, and figured I'd better burn off some calories in advance.

By the way, I hope none of you Colts fans died from heart attacks during the fourth quarter of the game.

The risk is real, cardiologists say, because studies have shown that when a favorite team loses, angry fans can suffer so much stress that the result is sudden cardiac death.

"If you look at a lot of data from a lot of different sports, there is a spectator risk," said Dr. Stephen Siegel, a cardiologist at New York University Langone Medical Center.

The best way to avoid this unhappy consequence is, "don't take it so seriously. Don't get so excited about it," he said. "Enjoy the game, have fun with it, but don't spend your life savings on betting on it and don't have your life invested in the outcome."

I'm Not Really Dedicated

I woke up in the middle of the night to go pee. When I flopped back into bed, M turned to me and sleepily mumbled: "Aren't you getting up to exercise?"

"It's two in the morning," I informed her.

"Well, you'd get up if you were really dedicated," she quipped, and went back to sleep.

My wife is always on.

Round 2 / Day 76: 100 Pull-Ups + 150 Push-Ups

When I woke up at dawn, my sinuses were still congested and my throat was still sore, so I had a decent excuse to skip Ab Ripper X this morning.

Still, I managed to heave myself up and over my pull-up bar 100 times. The first 25 reps were done with an extra 20 pounds chained to my belt, though I lightened my load by 10 pounds for the next 25. I cranked out my last 50 with no added weight, but they felt just as tough (if not more) than my first 25. I also threw in a bunch of push-ups -- the last 30 of which were Atomic Push-Ups performed with my TRX suspension system.

My goal? To work my way up to a full "Angie" CrossFit workout, which consists of 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats -- performed as quickly as possible.

Really???

According to a recent study, "[o]ne in five of us has inherited 'unfitness genes' that mean no matter how often we pound the treadmill, we'll still be out of puff."

Researchers from 14 institutions around the world asked more than 600 people to take up cycling and tracked subsequent improvements in their aerobic fitness. This involved measuring the amount of oxygen they took in, an indicator of the heart's ability to pump blood and one of the best predictors of a long and healthy old age...

By peering into the volunteers' DNA, they found 30 genes that affect oxygen uptake and showed that differences in 11 of these genes closely correlated with changes in aerobic fitness after cycling. Around one in five of those tested had a combination of genes that meant their oxygen uptake hardly changed, despite weeks of fast pedaling.

'The change in aerobic fitness was so small you could miss it,' said researcher James Timmons.

I suppose this is good news for 20 percent of the people who are looking for an excuse to quit Insanity.

Round 2 / Day 75: Insanity Max Interval Plyo

What's tougher than doing Insanity Max Interval Plyo? Doing it with a fucking head cold.

It's apparently okay to exercise when sick, but I probably should have eased back into my workout routine rather than diving right back into a crazy-intense Insanity session. After finishing the last plyo circuit of the day, I felt woozy and had to lie on the floor for a minute before getting up to stretch.

I should listen to M's advice. "You don't need to induce orthostatic hypotension to get a good workout," she said. (M not only has more common sense than me, but also often talks like a character on "ER.")

Round 2 / Day 74: Time Out

Taking a day off. Headache, sore throat, congestion -- the works.

I'll skip X Stretch later this week to make up for the missed day.

Round 2 / Day 73: Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X

Why is everyone in this video so damn chatty? Bobby Stephenson, Timmy the Marine and Katie the Giggly Interior Designer all evidently feel the need to chime in with bad jokes, set-up lines for Tony, and other unnecessary commentary.

Shhhh.

(Admittedly, my tolerance level is especially low today because I'm under the weather -- one of the occupational hazards of being a dad to two little germ-magnets, I guess.)