Tuesday's daily bread and lift.

(The first few of my blogs will be semi lengthy for sake of some explanation, thoughts, etc. Give it a couple days and it'll be a real quick read. I promise.)

Breakfast: Manmeal. (Oatmeal)
1/2 cup instant oats nuked with a cup of skim milk (until it's a soupy creamy paste)
after cooked, add:
1 tbsp Almond butter
2 tbsp fresh ground up flaxseed
1 tbsp wheat germ
1 tbsp olive oil (don't worry, you will not taste it)
1 medium cut up banana.

Flex while eating.

Fitness:

Warmed up for a good solid ten minutes. Today was a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and core (abs and lower back) day. A very generic and typical 'cardio and abs' day. This is just personal preference for me none-the-less. So as you should, did a solid warm up revolving around the major muscle groups that would be used in today's work out.

Jog for a couple minutes
30 Jumping Jacks
15 Prisoner squats
20 Push Ups
Walking Lunges (~6 each leg)
finish warm up with 10 burpee's
(mind you, these were all done with just body weight after jogging, no weights used)

Cardio has been a long debate for a while now on which is better. Long runs (aerobic) or Short hard bursts with extended recovery periods (anaerobic). I HATE long cardio. It's boring, you don't maxamize your total overall gains, and it'll just never be nearly as beneficial as higher intensities. Studys show HIIT truly is as good, if not BETTER then long runs, but for sake of arguement, email me if you want to get more into detail on this.

Jump roped in intervales today instead of sprints. You may laugh, but I challenge you to jump rope as hard as you can for a minute tough guy. Your five year old daughter will probably own you. It's an amazing way to build overall muscle (huge calves) and melt body fat. ~10 minutes of jump rope is equal to 30 minutes of running for calories burned.

HIIT:

(JR = Jump Roped WR = Walking around Recovery)

1. JR hard for 30 seconds, WR for 1 minute.
2. JR hard again for 25 seconds, WR for 45 seconds.
4. JR hard again for 20, WR for 30 seconds.
5. JR hard for 45, WR of 1 minute.
6. JR hard for 45 WR of 1 minute.
7-10. I did various footwork while jumping fairly hard:
(one footed work) 20 jumps on left foot, then 20 jumps on right foot.
Followed right into running in place jumps (alternating between feet) for 30 jumps.
You can mix it up for the last few minutes.

This is a fairly advanced routine. I wouldn't recommend this if you are just starting to get into jump rope. There is much discussion on choosing a jump rope size, the beginners phase, etc. E-mail me if you would like to discuss more a beginners level and/or preperation on a get go for JR intervales.

Core:

Too many people emphasise thousands of traditional crunches and mundane exercises for your core. Let me be the first to say that, you're wasting your time. A lot of abs comes from the twists, pulls, bends, and extensions from other work outs. Naturally, you can and should just incorporate good breathing techniques alone to get your core involved in your work outs. I just do a 6 work out circuit. Studies show that, like HIIT, working your abs hard in a series of work outs, then a rest phase, helps for most growth. Here is my core circuit.

1a) Chin up with knee raises
1b) Swiss ball planks
2a) Pike Ups
2b) Swiss ball Jackknifes
3a) Medicine ball twist crunches on a decline bench
3b) Hanging leg raises.

Notice how its numbered and lettered. 1a and 1b are done back to back as a superset ex) 1a for 8 reps right into 1b for 30 seconds. Then rest for 30 seconds, repeat.

These circuits are all done as 2 sets each with 6-12 reps. I focus Huge on form and slow sustained work outs. Four slow tightening your gut workouts are better then 20 fast blow out ones.

Good workout. Now cool down (light jog, some jumping jacks, more prisoner squats and push ups) then Stretch. STRETCH! STRETCH! STRECH!

Nobody stretches anymore. It's key. Stretching after your work outs is extremely crucial to good recovery and defined muscle growth. After working out, I usually focus on 1-2 30 second static stretches of all major muscle groups.

Faith:

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

It has come to my attention that there has been tension amongst friends, peers, workers, etc lately. People getting annoyed with this person. That person just not caring. Other people having real life issues and not feeling anyone there for them. On and on... (Drama)

We too many times get caught up in our own agendas and problems. It happens. I do it too. The issue is, we tend to forget the wonderful family and friends in our lives (more less take them for granted). When was the last time you got an email, text, or in person reminder from someone simply saying 'Hey, I am glad you're a good friend. I hope all is well and know that I love you bro'? A little simplicity goes a LONG way.

Calm down from your fire for God for two seconds Christians, and remember that people are almost as important and need that love/attention too. If we put 100% of our focus on God alone, who's it helping, that probably needs it more? Jesus didn't come for the healthy, he came to save/heal the sick.

Let us take time out of our day for just a few minutes to text a friend, call a family member, go to your neighbor, whatever it may be to just say hi, and thanks. Let them know you appreciate their friendship and that you hope all is well. Granted, we're not ALWAYS going to be the utmost nice because we get caught up in our daily strifes, but at least refresh others once in a while. Rather they are having problems or not, just take a minute to tell them you're glad their a friend.

(comments/feedback/questions would be much appreciated!)

God bless peeps! Stay in tune for more Iron Man material!

-Adam