Today was the day of reckoning for achieving my short term goal of 6% body fat. If you’ve read the second part of the Yoked Roadmap, you’d know that I’m taking baby steps toward my overall goal of being in excellent shape (aka – yoked).

So what was the verdict? Well as the title implies, there was some good news and bad, depending on how you look at it.

The Good:

According to the standard caliper test, I’m 6.5% body fat. That’s pretty damn good. Enough to push me to Skeletor status.

The Bad:

1. Skeletor = complete jerk

2. I know this may be a bit nitpicky, but 6.5 is not the same thing as 6.0% body fat…. Not trying to be stupid about it, but I said 6%, and not 6% range. Just saying.

The Fugly:

I really just wanted to see the word “fugly” on my blog. It’s not a word that’s used nearly as often as it should be, and it makes me laugh consistently.

… but my foot fits the bill. It’s still swollen as hell from my running injury. Went bootless at work today, probably a little prematurely, and I’m pretty sure my right shoe was cursing the day it was born. Now I know what a fat lady in little shoe feels like.

Now what?

So… yay? Goal sort-of achieved? On to the next one?

Not quite.

Considering I’m in a bit of a holding pattern until my foot heals 100%, I’m going to press on for the 6% bar until the end of October. By then, I should be back in top form, and ready to conquer the next goal. After all, who wants to read about some jerk that posts his goal and never delivers? (Lots of people actually)

We can’t be having that. What kind of message am I giving my unborn children? I can hear my non-existent wife now: Daddy’s a quitter kids, look, his stupid blog proves it. I can’t be giving her ammo like that.

But what’s this about the next goal?

I’m pretty excited about it, because it’ll be venturing into territory I’ve never gone into before: power lifting.

The idea behind getting shredded before I get myself into the world of brute strength and power lifting, is that I’ll have a “blank canvas” to work with. Initially I’ll probably lift like a butterfly and my pride will sting like a bee, but via force feeding and heavy lifting, I’ll hopefully change my Skeletor-esque physique into He-man status.

Yeah, you like that tie in? Sure you do.

I don’t have any illusions of this taking 3 months or so, and quite frankly I don’t have a timeline in place right now. I’m going to be searching around for a lifting coach, and work with him/her to define realistic, yet challenging, timelines for the following:

1 rep max(RM) deadlift @ 2x body weight(BW)

1 RM front squat @ 1.75x BW

1 RM squat clean @ 1.25 BW

Yes, I will be working on my upper body as well, but I’ve always had tiny dancer legs, so this winter I plan on declaring war on them. Time to invade the south, baby.

Until then: more cardio, more tabata, and less calories (dammit).

If you read my last post, you’ll know that I went and hurt myself like a big jerk last Wednesday night. Unfortunately, as I write this, my foot is still swollen and unable to bear weight without the help of a boot or crutches. So much for a speedy recovery…

This is very upsetting. My goal for several months now has been to get to 6% body fat by the end of September, and here we are 3 days away, right when I’m supposed to be making my final push, and I’m broken.

Depressed? I was a little, yes.

I went to the doctor on Thursday (didn’t exercise), and on Friday, rather than workout like I was supposed to, I sat around feeling pretty defeated.

But then Saturday I turned it around. I figured: You know what? I needed to stop focusing on the 3% of my body that’s defective, and focus on honing the 97% that’s healthy. Just because you’re hurt, doesn’t mean you have to let it keep you out of the game.

What it's all a boot.... You laughed.

While my workout Saturday wasn’t exactly epic (50 pull-ups, 50 overhead plate presses, 100 pushups), getting that endorphin fix did wonders for my mood and outlook for the rest of the week. Once again proving to myself that the best weapon against the blues is a good sweat.

I guess the point is, even when you’re injured, do what you can. You may have to get creative, but keep moving towards the goal. Just be careful not to overdo it, which could keep you injured longer.

Alright, time to hobble to the gym with this stupid boot and rock the “hand bike”, which makes me look like an epileptic kid in a slap fight with a baby grizzly b-….. Oh. Right. Focus on the positive.

I’m on it. Here we go.

Got good workout ideas for a cripple? Lay ‘em on me: leave a comment.

I’m pretty sure that every guy, to some degree or another, thinks they’re Superman. As much as you know there are opportunities for injury out there, you think your body won’t break like others do. No matter how much you read, or how much people say, for some reason you think your body won’t break.

Well, it does.

After stating on multiple occasions that it’s always wise to “ease your way” into any new type of training to avoid injury, I’ve gone and hurt myself by doing the exact opposite.

Having written about the benefits of running barefoot just a few days ago, I jumped into it headfirst (not literally barefoot, but with the Vibram Fivefingers); and rather than listen to the warning signs, and my own advice, I ran myself into a pair of crutches and what appears to be a gravity boot.

I was running with a group last night, and even though the pain started halfway through the run, I didn’t want to look like a sissy so I continued to keep pace. Finally, about half a mile before the end, I had to stop and limp it to the finish. Now, in retrospect, all I can hear running through my head is: “So dumb, so dumb, so dumb…”

Every yoga class (yeah, that’s right, yoga) our teacher makes the statement, “you are your greatest teacher”. Well, I’m not 100% sure what that means. But I know it sounds cool, and that when it comes to your own body and pain it’s true.

It’s one thing to push through the burning in your muscles when lifting weights, or the nausea in your stomach during an intense cardio session, but knowing the difference between the productive pain, and the destructive, is huge. It can mean the difference between getting back on the horse the next day, and being off the horse for several months.

Always listen to your body and stay in tune with the feedback it’s giving. If something doesn’t feel right, it might be a good idea to back off to make sure you avoid injury. Just don’t be a sissy and use it as an excuse not to do real work when your body is responding like it should… You know what I’m talking about.

I figured I’d drop a quick reminder on everyone since I just got a $145 reminder myself. Don’t worry, I’m going to keep on it, though I may have to get a bit creative. The doc suggested swimming, and said I may be able to start easing other stuff in in a couple of weeks.

As always, I’ll keep you posted.

I’m not what I’d call a “runner”. While I have upped my running game in the past few months, you won’t see me driving around with a little “13.1” or “26.2” sticker on the back of my Honda any time soon. Maybe a “6.2” or an “Until my ankle started hurting” sticker, but that’s about all you’re going to get out of me at the moment.

One of the big reasons I’m not a huge runner is that it straight up hurts, and I’m not talking about the good kind. You know, the “Oh yeeeeeaaah, that burns like a @#%@” kind. I’m talking about the Rice Crispies, snap, crackle, pop kind. If it’s not my knee, it’s my ankle. If it’s not a joint, it’s shin splints or my tibia. Point is, after 5 miles or so, my body starts to creek and groan. I am 27 years old, by golly, and this shouldn’t be happening.

Then I heard about the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico. If you haven’t heard of these people, you should read the linked article, but to sum it up: they run, without modern footwear, for dozens and dozens of miles at a time, well into their 70’s and 80’s, and show little to no running injuries like we see in the modern world. No disintegrated knees, no shin splints, nothing.

What. The. Hell.

I can’t go 6 miles without crying like a little girl in my pillowed Nike X-factor Pegasus Flight F-16 Screaming Eagles, and these people can outrun most American ultra-marathoners in some sandals al a Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.

This got me reading more. Apparently there’s a whole movement out there centered around barefoot (or barefoot-esque) running. The idea is, our bodies are perfectly made to run long distances the way they are, no fancy-shmancy (read expensive) gear required.

It turns out those shoes may not only be unnecessary, but they may be causing a lot of the issues that folks have. This is due to shoes encouraging a heel strike when running, rather than the more natural and beneficial forefoot strikes. Take a look at these videos pulled from a study Harvard did, and you can see the difference:

That heel strike looks awfully familiar. The sound that I’m accustomed to when I run on the treadmill, is “BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-…”. If I were a part of the Tarahumara tribe, my name would probably be “He Who Runs Like Wounded Rhino”.

There are a lot of people in the gym who share my marvelous gait, and just the sound of it confirms that God didn’t intend for us to run that way. No wonder my shins and joints are always getting injured, considering the amount of force that is shooting from my heel, straight up my shin, and into my knees.

Having done the research, I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a try. So a week or so ago, I took off the shoes, hopped on the treadmill, and away I went…

Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I started to truck it to the sound of “tip-tap-tip-tap”, with little to no jarring in my joints. The feel of running this way was almost completely different. My heels barely grazed the ground. It almost made me like to run…. Almost.

Something to keep in mind, and this is true of most anything new you add to your training, is that you need to ease into it. There are a couple reasons for this:

• Your feet need to toughen up

I got up to two miles barefoot and had to step off to check what was going on with one of my big toes. Sure enough, I had a blood blister the size of a Milk Dud (not that I eat those, I’ve just heard of them) Much like when you first start lifting weights sans-gloves, over time you’ll start to build up calluses, so eventually the pain of running without the padding will go away as you build natural padding.

• Your calves and feet need to get stronger

This is a whole different kind of workout for your feet and calves. Maybe you’re used to the work this puts on your calves and feet if you’ve always been a person with really good running form, and have been able to consistently pull off the forefoot strike even with shoes on. However if you’re like me, and consistently heel strike when you run, then running on the balls of your feet will do wicked things to your calves. I couldn’t walk without a limp for 4 days after I was so sore. Again, just ease it in.

Now I know the idea of running barefoot off of the safe and steady terrain of a treadmill is another story. There are plenty of barefoot running purists who argue that you’ll build up calluses that will protect you over time. That’s great and all, but honestly, I’m not trying to look like Captain Caveman. (Flintstone Kids anyone??… No?… Just me?)

So last night I went out and picked up some Vibram Fivefingers Sprint…shoes, I guess you’d call them? They are minimalist “shoes” and are supposed to be a great alternative to true barefoot running. These things are a little strange to look at, but they’re selling like hotcakes (which apparently are always in demand), so I had a hard time finding a pair.

I just got them last night, so I’ll use them for pretty much everything athletic I do for the upcoming week, and then write up a review for you sometime next weekend.

In the meantime, why not try going barefoot (or in socks) for your next treadmill run? If you give it a try, let me know what you think. Also let me know how your calves feel the next day (muahahahaha).

Sources and further reading:

Sports Science Journal – Barefoot Running

WebMD – Barefoot Running Laced With Health Benefits

Runner’s World – Should You Be Running Barefoot?

Science Daily – How Humans Ran Comfortably and Safely Before the Invention of Shoes

Popular Science – Will Running Barefoot Cure What Ails Us?

Harvard.edu – Biomechanics of Foot Strikes and Application to Running Barefoot or in Minimal Footwear

Oh the things I do for you people! I spent yesterday slaving away, drinking beer, just so I could write this review for you. I went to the local beer and wine mega-mart, and found 5 lagers that I considered to be good in their calorie heavy form, and then purchased the calorie reduced “light” incarnations of these beers.

Why? Well you (and I) may be on a diet, but let’s not get too crazy and cut out alcohol completely! I like to believe that getting in great shape and having fun can coexist. Haven’t proven that theory yet, but I’m working on it…

There were a couple prerequisites for making the special list of 5:

1. I had to enjoy your fatty kin (e.g. – Corona Extra, Kirin Ichiban, etc)
2. Had to be a true low calorie lager that contain less than 100 calories per 12 oz. bottle

This, unfortunately, meant that Sam Adams Light didn’t make the cut due to being 120+ calories. This saddened me, but I pressed on.

Quick disclaimer: I am not a beer aficionado. I don’t know any technical beer terms. What I do know, is that I love a good lager, and the results of this showdown are based off my own perception and tastes.

Enough talk. Here’s the tale of the tape:

1. Becks Premium Light            calories: 64                        ABV: 2.3%
2. Corona Light                                    calories: 99                        ABV: 3.7%
3. Yuengling Light                        calories: 99                        ABV: 3.8%
4. Kirin Light                                    calories: 95                        ABV: 3.3%
5. Heineken Light                        calories: 99                        ABV: 3.3%

In order for this to be fair, we did a blind testing. I had a lovely assistant serve me 2 oz. serving of each beer, in random order, and went through the list 3 times just to make sure. (Don’t worry, I accounted for it in my diet for the day)

Here’s what I came up with. They’re listed in order of favorite to least favorite:

Tastes most like the original: Corona Light

I’m a huge fan of Corona Extra, and quite frankly if you slipped one of these in my hands with a lime in it, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t know the difference unless you pointed it out to me. In each blind test, this one came out on top for me. Definitely my favorite overall.

Tastes most like, well…. BEER: Yuengling Light

You absolutely know that this is still a beer you’re drinking. Had the least “watered down” taste of all.

Most hated by everyone except for me: Heineken Light

I actually kind of liked this beer. I definitely prefer the original to it, but still not too bad. It smelled like a German lager to me, and though the taste was faint, it was still there.

However several other people I’ve talked to absolutely hate it, including my assistant. She went through the list after I did, and she couldn’t even finish it. She said it made her “want to vomit”. Lovely.

Beer I have the least to say about: Kirin Light

… Meh.

Tastes like water and you wonder why you’re drinking it: Becks Premium Light

I didn’t hate this beer, though the above phrase probably implies that I did. I just thought: At this point… what is the point?

If you’re on a strict diet, and you absolutely KNOW you’re going to have to have a glass bottle of something in your hand at a BBQ or party, then I can see purchasing this. Hey, I understand, it’s habit. You’re hanging out with your buds, and drinking is like second nature. But don’t expect to get a buzz, or even dehydrated off these suckers. I could probably put a couple of these in a water bottle and take them too the gym with me and feel great downing them over the course of a 4 mile run.

Final thoughts:

While none of these beers disgusted me, there were definitely a few that you could tell were “light”. Other than the Corona and Yuengling, I’ll probably just stick to the original and consume them in smaller quantities if that’s what I’m in the mood for.

Have you tried any of these beers? What did you think? Feel free to leave a comment disagreeing with me, or suggesting another light lager to give a try.

For the opinion(s) of some people who really know what they’re talking about when it comes to beer, check out Beer Advocate.

Footnote: I want all my NASCAR loving, shotgun shooting, torn-up-hat-with-a-fish-hook wearing readers to forgive me. I don’t even consider the “light” versions of Bud, Miller, Coors, Busch, etc., to be lager really.

That beer is what I consider party beer, which I left behind in college. If I’m watching the game, just trying to relax and sip on something, I prefer water before these beers.

Please don’t stab me. I know some of you want to. I’ve seen grown-ass men foaming out the mouth arguing about how Bud is “the greatest beer”, along with “Dale Junior is a saint and can have my first born”, etc. So I know me saying this will offend some folks. Sorry, but this my blog by golly and I’ll do what I want!

…”is hard”, is the end of that sentence.

I just got back from a 4 day vacation that turned into a 5 day vacation; skin peeling off everywhere and my bank account depleted. Good times, however I’m a little disappointed in myself. If you read my last post, The Homestretch, you’d know that I went down there with a plan in place to continue making progress towards my fitness goals even while having a good time.

Well it saddens me to admit that things did not go exactly as planned. I only halfway delivered. I only worked out once out of the 5 days I was down there, which is way off the mark that I had in mind. The hotels we stayed at had very nice fitness facilities, but they tend to frown on you sleeping in till noon, checking out an hour late, and then using their gym. Jerks.

However, I was successful in keeping my nutrition healthy throughout. In fact, I think that was my saving grace, because while I didn’t lose any weight down there I also didn’t gain weight. Holding strong at 181.5 lbs.

Below you can see my traveling buffet. I had to replenish it once, but it was with all the same stuff.

Yes, I did deviate from this a couple times, but considering I was traveling up and down Florida for 5 days, I think only a couple cheat meals is pretty good.

Having just gotten back from my trip, and having not done my plan full justice, I have a few tips to keep in mind if you’re on vacation and trying to achieve your goals.

1. Be realistic with your diet

Look, you’re on vacation, you’re not going to eat grilled chicken breast and celery the entire time, and if you’re someone who likes to drink, you’re going to drink. If you don’t allow yourself to let loose a little, what exactly is the point of vacation? Spend a lot of money for some sunburn? No, you’re going to want to relax your diet a bit.

Personally, I think shooting for maintaining weight is probably a fair goal. You don’t want to blow everything you’ve worked for, but kicking up the caloric intake a bit allows you to enjoy yourself within reason. Hell, it might even kick start your metabolism for when you come back and jump back into your restricted diet, allowing you to lose weight quicker.

2. Be realistic with your exercise

Chances are, you’re not going to hit the gym for 3 hours if you’ve got a bunch planned for the day. Don’t tell yourself you’re going to workout like crazy, unless your vacation is centered around fitness. Some people consider traveling for marathons or adventure races (awesome fun by the way) to be a vacation. If that’s the kind of vacation you’re going on then great, but if you’re going to the beach during the day, and the bar (or “da club”) at night, you’re probably not going to be at the gym for hours and hours.

That said, if you’re only going to have 30-60 minutes to exercise, make it count. Plan out when, where, and how you will exercise, before you even step outside of your front door for the trip. If you’re traveling with someone, it’d probably be a good idea to run your timetable by everyone in the party, just so they aren’t pissed off when they’re ready to head out for an early dinner, and you’re putting on your spandex.

Note: I had an exercise plan that would’ve worked for everyone, however I underestimated the crippling power of a late night out. Waking up “early” after staying out till 3AM just doesn’t seem to work for me. I wouldn’t recommend planning for an early rise after a late night unless you know you’re someone who can handle that type of thing. Some of you can, and I hate you for it…

3. Get everyone on board

I brushed on it a little bit in the previous point, but be sure you let everyone you’re traveling with know what you’re fitness goals are and how you plan on achieving them. This way, nobody is going to be disappointed or offended when you turn down the triple cheeseburger they brought you from Wendy’s or the Stoli bomb you refuse to drink… Okay, so I did drink that, but you get the idea: Get your people on your team. They might even help motivate you to exercise or keep you from going overboard on your diet.

4. Find every excuse to move

If you’re at the beach all day, don’t just lay there like a beached whale: Take a walk, swim in the ocean, play Frisbee, destroy kid’s sandcastles, whatever. Just try to stay active. Movement burns calories. It’s a fact, look it up.

For example, while I had a five hour delay for my flight to Florida (thanks J-Blue!), I decided to continuously walk concourse B in the Dulles airport until my flight left. While this is far from an intense workout, walking a couple miles burns more calories than sitting at the bar pounding Sapporo (which is what I was doing before I started to walk).

I’m sure there are many more helpful ideas out there, but this is the list that I came up with in light of my recent vacation.

How do you plan for your fitness goals while traveling? If you’ve got good ideas, lay them on me! I need all the help I can get.