Getting Ready for the Spartan Race

I got three solid workouts in this week with Shawn at the YMCA. Tuesday was chest and back workouts; Wednesday was biceps and triceps. We went with a lot of cardio and boxing on Thursday. I’ve been able to tell a huge difference in how my body is handling the up-tempo workouts compared to where I was just a month ago. I feel like the fast pace of our workouts is really going to help me when it comes time to run my first Spartan Race in February.



No Slack

This week was another week of only two workout days because of scheduling conflicts. I was able to make the most of those two days though as Shawn allowed zero slack. We’ve really ramped up the intensity of our workouts the last two to three weeks. There is shorter rest time between sets and more workouts per set than we’ve ever done. We have also increased the number of rounds we are going when sparring. With the small number of workouts I’ve really had to pay attention to what...



Getting Ready for a Spartan

I only made it into the gym on Monday and Tuesday of this week, but we have really been ramping up the intensity of the workouts. When we began, a normal workout would be around 500 – 600 calories in an hour-long workout, which I tracked using my watch. In the last two weeks, our workouts are usually in the 900-1,000 calorie range. We have really begun speeding up our sets of weight lifting, with shorter breaks in between each set. We’ve also included a good bit more cardio on a daily...



Ramping Up the Workouts

I managed to get back on track and made it to the YMCA Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. After missing all of last week, Monday’s workout was a grind. Shawn ramped up the cardio during my workout to get me back on track after my hiatus. We focused more on boxing and agility exercises on Tuesday. Wednesday was a burnout workout for biceps, triceps, and shoulders, so my arms felt like noodles all weekend. I wasn’t able to make it to the gym on Thursday because I attended Pink Affair at...



Making Healthy Lunch Choices

I wasn’t able to make it to the gym last week. It seemed like it was just one thing after another all week. While I wasn’t able to get a workout in, I paid a little better attention to my eating habits all week. I stuck to a lot of grilled meats and was a lot better about going home for lunch and eating healthy leftovers instead of settling for a quick meal at a drive-thru. This week should be a lot more calm so I will have some makeup workout days to schedule for my absence last...



Squeezing in Workouts

Last week was a pretty hectic one for me. The fair came to town and, as a member of the Thomasville Exchange Club, I had to work all week at that on top of my normal work schedule. I managed to squeeze in a couple of workouts on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday by going to the YMCA earlier than usual. I was able to avoid any fair food all week, so that was a pretty big accomplishment. I also avoided any depression eating after a pretty poor sports week with the Braves and UGA both losing...



Focusing on Smarter Lunch Choices

I spent this week trying to focus on making better choices for lunch and eating small, healthy snacks in between meals. I had grilled nuggets and a fruit cup from Chick-fil-a one day and ordered a meal from the Live Better menu at Longhorn on another. I ordered the grilled salmon with a side of grilled asparagus. I was only able to work out with Shawn twice this week at the YMCA because of having to work late, but he made sure that we got everything out of our workouts...



Crushing the Pink Elite Challenge

I spent last weekend in Athens eating tailgate food, and I may have over-indulged as a manner of celebration for the big win. A minor setback for a major comeback. I’ve been upping my workouts at the YMCA to four days a week in order to try and prepare the Pink Run that was this past Saturday. I signed up for the 5k and the challenge portion of the race, which includes 6 different workout stations. Shawn and I began each workout this week by running outside from the YMCA to the church...



Getting Uncomfortable

I started my week with a workout on Tuesday at the YMCA where Shawn said that his goal this week was to make me “uncomfortable”. He succeeded. We continued with boxing workouts, but they were much more fast-paced and we did some different things during our workout. Wednesday was a full-blown cardio day. I started by running and walking in intervals on the treadmill, then moved to the rowing machine, then went for a run outside (it was HOT), then finished it off with a fast-paced ab...



Boxing and Cake

This week was a stressful, but fun, one. The YMCA was closed on Monday because of Labor Day, but I was able to get in and workout with Shawn on Tuesday and Thursday. The YMCA was going through some renovations on Tuesday in their weight room, so Shawn and I strictly did boxing that day. So, while I didn’t get too sore, it was a good cardio day. On Thursday, we were able to get back in the gym, and Shawn was apparently trying to make up for the day we lost, because my whole upper body...



Pink Elite Challenge Ready

I met with Hannah this week for weigh-ins and to get measurements taken. I’m finally starting to be able to see the weight coming off on the scale and see my measurement numbers going down. I lost 3 pounds this month, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but my goal is not to drastically lose a bunch of weight just while doing the program, but to be able to continue this new lifestyle and lose weight continuously even after the program is over. My back has been a little sore this week from,...



Weekend Workouts

I worked out this week at the YMCA with Shawn on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We completed boxing workouts on Tuesday and Thursday. Shawn has really amped up those workouts, to where we’re sparring. It’s tough, but a really good workout. Wednesday was more of a body weight workout. It was a nice change of pace, but still difficult. My wife and I went to the beach this weekend, where she made us ride bikes Saturday morning. I was hoping to relax the whole time at the beach...