Sunday, August 31, 2008

My twenty week journey back to perfect health - ' THE SUPER CHALLENGE'

Week 4 Day 7

What's going on in my head?

I want to deviate slightly from the norm today because I want to include communication from Carlos which is very important to therapeutic recovery. Critical in fact.


Dougal,

I read somewhere that you are pleased with your progress.
So right about now, what does that look like?

Just for reference I was wondering what your weights were
pre-surgery for the basic movements, with the exception
of squats.

If you could supply me with this information it would be helpful
to demonstrate to the readers where you were, and where you
are at the present.

This is so I have some idea when we have come to full function.
At which time there will probably be a need for an update.
Returning to full function would be sort of like Graduation
Day. Arrival.

What comes to mind is a few of my patients who were
sent to me from a local psychologist. I ask them at some
point in their therapy, "So when is Graduation Day",
Without any variation they all look at me with a blank
stare, like what the heck are you talking about?

You see they will never know if they never ask!
And they don't know to ask!
Because almost always when we become involved
in Psycho Therapy, and most other services where
we get paid for what we do, you almost NEVER hear
talk of a "Finish Line".

"When can you function on your own?" When will
you be able to apply to real life what you have learned?.
When does theory become practice?

They don't know. They don't know because they
have not been taught.

"And by the way, Mr. Jones once you are able to
process thought you will have arrived in a place where
you will be released from therapy
because at the point you will have outgrown the need
for our initial intervention and even possibly continued
sessions, it is at this point we would like you to
return only as needed rather than the 3 appointments
per week at $150. per 50 minute hour".

The above statement will never occur in the office
of a Psychologist, Psychiatrist, and some Chiropractors.
Actually the Chiropractors are getting better.

(This has been my experience)

Any way its important for anyone in therapy to know
when they have completed their Therapeutic Model,
and have entered into their next phase, and there should
Always be a next phase.
Thanks.

Regards,
Carlos

So to answer the question posed by Carlos here are the weight differences.

all in kg (x 2.2 for lbs) The number indicate my weights at the start (my return to the gym), what they are now, and pre accident. Pse excuse the lousy formatting. I set it out properly and it defaults back what you see on the screen.

Leg ext 15 40 60

Leg curls 10 30 50

Calf raises (seated) 10 40 80

db Pullovers 8 20 30

Bench bar 60 100

Seated rows 15 50 80

laterals 4 8 15

bent over rows bar 30 50

dips bodyweight) 3 10

curls 5 12 22

tricep push downs 20 50 85

hyper ext b/wt 10

shrugs 15 40 70

So on average it would seem that I've gone from pretty much a zero base to, on average about 50-60% strength in about 5 weeks. I'm pretty happy with that. Carlos, what do you think?

I'm suffering no ill effects from the training physiologically wise and I obviously feel a whole lot stronger.

Mentally, I feel...well absolutely normal....I actually can't imagine feeling any different. I'm in no pain and the training certainly is putting no pressure on my neck.

Emotionally, I am HAPPY, on a daily basis. That is because I train my mind every day day as well as my body. I repeat positive affirmations daily to crowd garbage out of my head. I am learning to be aware of everything that goes on in my head, I speak to and thank God every day for AN ABUNDANCE of everything I need. I am also very happy and grateful for everything I have and for everything I am. I am a giver of words and stuff, I am surrounded by wonderful people and relationships, and the big thing is...IT DIDN'T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. I have created my life exactly the way I want it. This is not hard to do it just takes practice. MENTAL PRACTICE and I think we should be training our minds even more than our bodies.

EXCELLENCE comes off the TOP SHELF and you get there by standing on a stack of good books that you have just read. The only thing worse than not reading excellent books is thinking that it doesn't matter.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

My twenty week journey back to perfect health - ' THE SUPER CHALLENGE'

Week 4 Day 6

Nothing goin on today - I'm in cruise mode. Feeling wonderful. It's the weekend.

TRAINING

Had a fantastic session today...am really getting stronger with each session. I'm very pleased with my progress.

NUTRITION

as per previous

SUMMARY

Have a brilliant, loving, giving, sharing, healthy weekend.

Friday, August 29, 2008

EXTRA | EXTRA | EXTRA

If you read my post today you will see that I endorsed Barack Obama as appearing to be a fit healthy individual, qualities he would need should he become the next American president.

Well it looks like I blew it and didn't do my homework properly.

I was taken to task by my good friend Lynda who said that he was skinny and she didn't really want to look like that. She's right, he is.

Then I really had my bubble burst by Margaret who set the record straight by informing me that Obama is probably slight of physique because....HE IS A HEAVY SMOKER. Wow that puts a bit of a different spin on things.

Fit and healthy...as a heavy smoker he doesn't quite fit the bill as a role model.

Sorry Barack you're off the 'A' list.

Thank you to Lynda and Margaret for putting me straight. My apologies for misleading you all.

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 4 day 5

What's going on in my head?

If I was a betting man I would put a fairly large some of money on Barack Obama becoming the next American President. Why do I say that and what has it to do with health and fitness.

Well, actually the two are intertwined. My belief is that the American public is sick and tired of an overbloated administration, that is going to leave behind the legacy of a very sick economy amongst other things, and obesity, as an epidemic.

So......well the man looks like he's in great shape, doesn't he? He is nice and lean with that boyish smiling face that screams out health and fitness. He walks with an energy that'll he'll need to keep over the next four years, but he seems the kind of person who will make time to stay in shape because he KNOWS how important it is to his efficiency and credibility.

It cannot be quantified but I really believe that he will win this election in part to the way he looks...I mean put it this way, if he was fat with a hang dog look on his face and walked without energy, how far do you think he would have got....I venture to say, not past Hillary Clinton.

I mean everything about him is... energy, exciting energy, he must be absolutely exhausted from the campaign trail but it sure doesn't show. The man is a dynamo.

Is Health and Fitness important to the most important man in the world right now...YOU BET.

"Be the change you want to see." the immortal words of Mahatma Gandhi.

As a crusading evangalist for health and fitness, I'm living those words, and if you care so should you.

TRAINING

Time has run away with me today so I'll workout tomorrow..looking forward to it.

NUTRITION

Pretty much the same as my reveal

SUMMARY

If we have any hope of evangalising health and fitness and making a difference in this obese world we live in, we need to set the example. With courage we need to step into the breach and " Be the change we want to see."

Thursday, August 28, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week Four Day 4

What's going on in my head?

Patience. For experienced trainers the gift of patience is compulsory.

Once a beginner lifter has moved past the rosy glow of super quick muscle growth..which does happen, and starts believing he could beat Ronnie Coleman into 1st spot at the 'OLYMPIA', he moves into the category of 'experienced'. Once that happens patience as a quality is probably on par with other attributes such as commitment and intensity and persistance.

Muscle growth is not as easy as people believe it is. It takes years of hard work and huge consistent effort. That's why it is such a valuable prize, as opposed to your average 'juicer' who is pretty large...if he's lucky, after a couple of steroid cycles. Once you've built the muscle honestly and you keep training, it's yours to keep. Start juicing and any growth you achieve is GONE once you stop, and face it, you cannot spike forever.

A final word...the primary side effect of steroid useage is....PREMATURE DEATH.

Hardly worth it, is it guys?

Which brings me onto the subject of women and muscles. Most of my female clients express major discomfort when they learn they are going to be training with heavy weights. "But I don't want to get all muscular" You won't, the laws of physiology prohibit it. You don't make enough testosterone, well the majority of you anyway. So if your trainer is asking you to lift heavy weights, it's THE BEST WAY TO LOSE BODY FAT, which is most womens primary objective.

TRAINING

Day Off

NUTRITION

Same basic composition as yesterday.

SUMMARY

I'm would take poison on Carlos DeJesus, a World Champion Natural Bodybuilder (no steroids) agreeing with me 100% on todays topic.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 4 Day 3

What's going on in my head?

All I know is that life is FANTASTIC. Why because that's what I 've decided. Everything in life is a choice. Take responsibility for everything that happens in your life and make smart choices.

So..I decided long ago that life for me would be made from a rich tapestry of diverse and interesting things. So it has proved. It's that simple.

Your attitude really does determine where you are in life and if you want to be happy and you're not, it's as simple as changing your attitude. Refresh your head, or reboot your mental harddrive with positive happy software.

Your friends and family will love you sooo much more.

NUTRITION

Well at last you will be able to see what I'm doing with my eating.
Meal 1 Protein shake (early)
Meal 2 Protein shake/1 cup uncooked oats/small tub ff flavoured yoghurt
Meal 3 Tuna fish/large baked potato/large mixed salad
Meal 4 Tub low fat cottage cheese/small tub ff flavoured yoghurt
Meal 5 Chicken breast/1 cup basmati rice/2 cups steamed veg/1 tbspn olive oil

The nutritional make up is 1944 calories and 29 Pr/56 Carb/15 Fat % breakdown

I've increased my cal intake by 200 per day, each week and I need to work up to 3000 per day before my metab is stabilised enough to start fat burning. My percentages will obviously change as I go.

Sounds complicated but I have this very clever software working out all the ratios for me as I go.

So...I'll give you more information as I go along and let you know what's happening to my weight and body fat.

TRAINING

Another great session this morning. My attitude going in was perfect and I was ready to work hard. I love being in the gym and I absolutely love weight training.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week four Day 2

What's going on in my head?

Sub Prime has really hurt the American economy...ask employees and management at Bear Stearns. If you think this is new you've forgotten 88-89 and junk bonds causing the demise of Drexel Burnham. This is a cycle, or if you prefer, a season.

This is part of life, part of nature, part of human greed and does this have anything to do with health and fitness. Well actually yes it does.

Everything in life operates in cycles, up and downs, seasons. Think about it. Weather patterns, winter, summer, geography, mountains and valleys, moods, cheerful and unhappy.

I don't mean to minimise what is happening right now but what I'm trying to say is your health is exactly the same and so is your training.

Do you know that the body adapts to a resistance routine in about 4 weeks. You then plateau, and you need to change your exercises and if you don't you are unlikely to make any more gains from the routine. Any halfway decent routine should factor this in. Your nutrition is pretty much the same and your body gets used to eating the same foods every single day.

Plateau's, up's and downs and seasons are a very normal part of every day life so guard your health very carefully...Choose a program and eating plan you trust and see it through. Finish what you start and remember plateau's are a temporary part of our life cycle and there will be downside's. Deal with them positively and with good humour and grace for 'they too will pass'

TRAINING

None today

NUTRITION

reveal soon

SUMMARY

Don't let plateau's slow you down, they will happen, hang tough, they will also pass.

Monday, August 25, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week Four Day 1

What's going on in my head?

It's 8.00pm at the end of a long day of physical work + a weight training session of my own mid morning. I am in the process of cooking chicken breasts, basmati rice and steaming some vegetables. I am exhausted....SO WHAT?

So I don't feel much like writing tonight, I really don't, I don't feel like cooking either. A hot bath and a warm bed seems much more inviting right now, so why don't I just do what I want to do and not what I have to do.

Because "THE WHY" won't let me. I have committed to all of you that I would write daily, I have committed to myself that I would eat 6 healthy, nutritious meals per day and I have committed to my coach Carlos DeJesus 100% compliance. The discipline now drives me to complete what I need to before I turn in for the night. I also need to plan and arrange what I'm going to eat tomorrow.

Now I have two choices here....either bale on my goal to be in the best shape of my life by the end of 20 weeks or keep my committment. The more I honour my self promises, the more trustworthy I become to myself. The more trustworthy I become to myself, the more others will trust me.

To me this is a no brainer...why? because the WHY is important enough for me to follow through. Every time I do something I need to do but don't want to, I get mentally stronger.

Bottom line...SUCCESSFUL people will always do the things they have to, the others won't.

And...I AM a successful human being with an Unstoppable MindSet.

TRAINING

Had a superb training session to day and am increasing my poundages every session. Had an interesting thing happen. I was planning on Benching 50kgs (110lbs). I loaded up the bar and did a set, 3 x 3 cadence, perfect form for 10 reps. It felt a little heavier than normal but it was manageable. When I got up I realised that I had loaded the bar with 60kgs (132lbs).

Amazing what you can do when you don't know what you're doing. hmm.

NUTRITION

Another day or two before the reveal of what I'm eating.

SUMMARY

Focus on the why and you'll become a machine with an unstoppable mindset.


Sunday, August 24, 2008

My twenty week journey back to perfect health - ' THE SUPER CHALLENGE'


Week 3 Day 7


I received this from Shari http://becomefitatfifty.blogspot.com/today and I think it's brilliant.
Sunday, it's the perfect day to ' pay it forward '


I won an award, yoo hoo, see below. It's called the smile award


Dougal. You have GOT to read this man's blog. He has come thru some horrendous trials, but is still smiling and putting his faith in God.
Thank you so much SHARI for making me one of your recipients for the Smile Award.
The Rules of the Award are as follows.
1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator (The Babblings of Mere)
2. You must post these rules if you recieve the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to recieve the award after recieving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.
Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids
I am also thrilled that someone actually thinks that I meet these criteria! and I will 'pay it forward ' right now.
  1. Karen - who unselfishly nursed me back to health after my accident and continues to be my "strength". She is also my love.
  2. Adam Waters http://rtpblog2.wordpress.com/ - who has committed his life to the health and fitness of himself and others by example and is a beacon, a shining light to all, in this dark world of rampant obesity.
  3. Carlos DeJesus http://www.carlosdejesustotalfitness.com/ - a totally, unselfish, selfless man, a giant in the world of health and fitness and an untiring source of strength to many..especially me.
  4. Lynda http://marbelladiaz.blogspot.com/ - One of the most emotionally generous people I know. Always supportive, always happy, and always giving.
  5. Christy http://christymurphy.blogspot.com/ - who has gone through so many trial of her own and has come out on top...with a broad smile. Great support and inspiration

Congratulations to YOU, hero's all.

NOW Check the rules out and 'Pay it Forward'

Saturday, August 23, 2008

My twenty week journey back to perfect health - ' THE SUPER CHALLENGE'

Week 3 Day 5

What's going on in my head?

Woke up this morning feeling a whole lot better today and headed off to the gym. Had a fantastic training session and that has set me up for a brilliant day. A beautiful sunny day in South Africa and the second last day off the Olympics. Which brings to mind this thought. What do Olympians do when their race is run and the curtain falls on technically the most advanced games ever.

Hmmm....some will take a break and then carry on training. Some will re set or set new 4 year goals and some...will give up the sport they were so talented at and spend time mending a broken heart. It is so sad to think of, say a hammer thrower who one step away from glory throws the hammer into the cage. Or in the case of our own Nhlapo a talented young BMX rider one fall and that's the end for him.. Years of intense training with no social life gone.

Probably some let loose and go on a year long party...the release from training just too much to resist.

We...normal mortals need to guard against that let down or anticlimax of reaching our goals. That is why so many people do not sustain...me included, the condition attained whilst doing a body for life challenge.

So that is why we need to work on making health and fitness a lifestyle as Adam Waters has done and not a competition. There is no end in site with the competition of life, we should embrace the life we have and be the best we can possibly be.

TRAINING

As per during the week, three excellent session done. Happy.

NUTRITION

Big reveal coming next week.

SUMMARY

Our Life journey is about being the best you can be for yourself ...competing with you...you can never win the game of competing against someone else. Let's leave that to those magnificent Olympians.

Friday, August 22, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 3 Day 5



What's going on in my head?



I don't know but it hurts like heck. Woke up this morning feeling very stiff and sore with a major head/neck ache and spasm'd shoulders. Didn't sleep well and was up half the night.



So evaluation time. Do I, knowing that I have a planned training resistance session, bite the bullet and go ahead and do it. Or... do I listen to my body and get real. This is where a line gets drawn between discipline and stupid.



My decision. Even with medication I am moving around fairly gently so I am not going to do the session now. I'll wait to see how I feel this afternoon and may do it then...if not I will do it tomorrow.



Experiencing a large amount of physical trauma not that long ago I must expect that there will be days like this. I'm certain that Carlos would agree that to listen to my body is the wise thing to do.



I am sure that many of you have this experience and you have to be honest with yourself about your pain threshold and your ability to exercise within that pain. Listen to your intuitive self for the answer and DO NOT overide it. Your intuition is very powerful and you have been given that gift for a reason.



Be honest but remember the dividing line between DISCIPLINE and DUMB is very thin.



NUTRITION



Big reveal of eating plans next week



SUMMARY



Honestly evaluate how you feel on any given day if you have experienced trauma but don't ever use it as an excuse to bale on a session.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 3 Day 4

What's going on in my head?

These next 9 weeks need ultimate discipline from me because I'm unlikely to see any results in terms of body shape...in fact I may even put on a few pounds. The reason for that is 'metabolism stabilisation'. In other words, preparing my body for fat loss.

Now, will I be able to discipline myself to eat more clean food than I've ever eaten before for 9 weeks with no discernable difference.

That depends on how badly I want my to achieve my goal and how much do I trust the nutrition program. First off, if I don't trust the nutrition program I shouldn't be doing it and second YES I want my goal badly enough to make any sacrifice to get there. Unlike Carlos however I would probably stop somewhat short of dying to achieve my goal. Perfect health would work for me.

I am looking very positively at the way I'm eating in that it is going to get me back to full strength and beyond much more safely. As Carlos has said, with the training I am doing once I stop improving each session either with weight or number of reps, I am overtraining.

I believe in another 9 weeks I will be stronger than ever before. In another 17 weeks I believe I will look better than ever beofore AND be more healthy. For that to happen I need to get to
7-8% body fat and I believe with all my heart that I will achieve this.

Remember, I'm not only doing this for me. I represent all those who have encountered a near death experience and resultant very serious injuries and all those who have all but given up on life. I will prove that health and fitness allows you a very good standard of LIFE even with limitations.

The pont of all this is to assert that my motivation reflects my discipline in any endeavour. I always have to keep my focus on the "WHY" not the how. It is the why that gets me to my goal. It was the why that got Carlos DeJesus to the pinnacle of success... the Natural World Bodybuilding Champion.

When things get tough and they always do, we need to remind ourselves 'why' we are doing something. I mean, we've all heard someone say "Remind me again why I'm doing this." The reason that is said, is because we get to a point where what we are putting in doesn't seem worth the effort until we ask the question.

If the answer to that question is powerful enough the discipline required to follow through is continued.

In my instance, I am doing what I'm doing.... obviously to rehabilitate myself from serious injury.... but more so to be of service to others. To be able to say to people through my writing and my lifestyle " Your life is far from over" you still have so much left to give, to do, so many reasons to live. I'd like people to pay forward what I'm starting...to crusade with me for a lifestyle of health and fitness. For us all to be revolutionaries.

When I read that paragraph back to myself, I get so excited about what I'm doing I don't need much discipline to keep doing what I have to, to get past the rare down times that I have, and therein lies the secret of discipline.

The WHY makes the HOW so much more bearable and the will to win is so much more powerful, that it is not even a question.

I WILL ACHIEVE MY GOAL....IN FACT IN MY MIND I HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED IT

TRAINING

Since I'm not doing cardio right now, I am only training three days a week. It feels a little weird but that's my plan.

NUTRITION

Next week I'll post a full days eating so you get some idea of what my nutrition plan looks like.

SUMMARY

Discipline is needed to get you over the finish line, but a powerful WHY is what gets you off the start.

GO FIND A 'WHY', OF YOUR OWN....TODAY


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 3 Day 3

What's going on in my head?

Nothing ....not a thing. It's one of those days where I feel kind of ambivalent about pretty much everything. Sort of mellow with not a care in the world. Do I feel guilty about not writing something motivating with earth shattering importance. Not a jot. Sometimes you get days like this and actually it's quite cool to not have millions of thoughts running..no sprinting through what passes for my mind. Peace doesn't happen often in the frenetic pace of our lives and when it does I embrace it, accept it and enjoy it.

So why don't you kick back, enjoy the peace with me and let's allow our collective consciousness wash over the planet with thoughts of love, peace, forgiveness, and a spirit of unconditional generosity....and of course, for me personally, huge gratitude to my Creator.

Go on give it 10 mins and see how great you feel...

TRAINING

Same as monday in terms of exercising and weight. Had a great workout with a very positive mindset and attitude. I'm feeling good today with no pain..no medication needed.

NUTRITION

Whoa...1 cup (raw) oats with a protein shake for breakfast, and tuna, vegetables and 1.5 cups rice (cooked) for lunch...man am I full. + early morning protein shake.

Getting used to this is going to be interesting.

SUMMARY

Love conquers ALL.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

My twenty week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 3 Day 2

What's going on in my head?

Dara Torres right now. I think she is more impressive than Phelps. Don't get me wrong, Phelps is no doubt the greatest Olympian ever but I'm not sure that he will be an Olympic medallist in 20 years time. Hey I might be wrong but it's probably unlikely.

" Don't let your age, get in the way of your dreams " I think is what she said.

I have been reading some comments from people who don't feel that she should have been there because of her age and experience. She should have made way for younger swimmers to have a chance since she has been an Olympian a few times before, they said.

EXCUSE ME....surely the team is picked from athletes with the fastest times at the trials. If that is true then she why should a slower swimmer get her spot...huh!

I love it that youngsters are intimidated by a 41 year old mother for a spot in the Olympic team...notwithstanding the fact that she came "a click of a finger " close to winning a gold medal.

Youngsters whine too much....set your goals, train harder than your coach says you should, create an unstoppable mindset, and be determined to win, but do not whine...rather get out of the pool and try your hand at the annual Poughkeepsie dung spitting contest.

Rumour has it that Phelps handed his goals for the Olympics to his coach some time ago....on the list " To win 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics". Now that's putting it on the line and going for it.

Don't be a bad sport and whinge about losing a spot on the team to a 41 yr old mother who darn near won a gold medal, she absolutely deserves to be there.

and....in the (sort of) words of the incredible Dara Tores " Don't ever let your age get in the way of your dreams."


NUTRITION

OK, an explanation is in order here. I am under the guidance of Ric Rooney and his PFA software on the Physique Transformation website. Firstly I think this is the most comprehensive professional diet software I've seen, and I've seen a LOT in my years as a health and fitness professional. It is NOT a 'Lose 30lbs in 30 days for $30' deal, those my dear friends DO NOT exist. Well they do but they don't work...REALLY.

So, the principal is: First, re set your metabolism and get it ready to become a fat burning furnace. Second, in fat burning mode you now start to get rid of, mostly, fat and very little muscle. It is VERY clever software that is not a cookie cutter one plan fits all kind of deal.

I am not pushing his software at all but I do believe that anyone prepared to offer a 700% money back guarantee if you fail and has NEVER had to pay out has GOT TO BE ONTO SOMETHING. The value you get for what you pay also tells me he's not in it for the money.

So, I take a deep breath and head into the 'conditioning' phase for the next 10 weeks. This means upping my food intake by around 200 calories a week until I hit around the 3000 cals per day mark. I don't expect any fat loss during this phase in fact I may put on some weight but with really clean eating I'm convinced that my body will then be ready for fatburning.

In case not everybody knows 'you need to feed your body to burn fat' not starve it, which is what most people do when trying to lose a waist size or three for that 2oth school reunion .

Spending 10 weeks conditioning my body takes a lot of trust and I do so off I go. The fat burning phase followows for around 8 weeks and I will then be in the best shape of my life by the Christmas holidays. Perfect.

The other interesting thing about this program is ' NO CARDIO ' whilst in the conditioning phase. Now that's a different take. However, I trust Ric Rooney and so into the unknown I venture with great belief in magnificent success.

SUMMARY

' Don't let age get in the way of your dreams'
'Find mentors in whom you trust and get out of your own way'
'Give any program you begin a more than reasonable chance to work'
'Believe in yourself, you are way better than you think you are'
'

Monday, August 18, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 3 Day 1

What's going on in my head?

Not taking pain medication when you need to is not clever. Again I let my head pain run a bit longer than I should and got to the point where I was about to lose my dinner. Thought I could make it through 24 hours without any medication at all. I have to remind myself that I am not a drug addict and the pain meds are there for a reason. When the pain subsides altogether I'll come off them. In the mean time I get a little concerned about renal failure and the like although I'm not taking huge amounts of tablets they are probably strong enough to get rid of the headache experienced by two Arizona plains bison taking a charge at each other.

So I went into the gym today feeling a bit fragile. I upped my game by the time I hit the iron and had a really good session.

Moral of the story...if you are in any kind of pain and you KNOW that you are not using for anything other than relief...take the darn things, that's what they're for.

I received this from Carlos and I think it is a valuable read for anyone

Discipline Defined

So what is discipline, anyway? Discipline to me is the difference between winning and losing.
Discipline is a daily recommitment, because it is daily that I can get off course. By keeping myself on a “short leash ” I can better maintain a steady course. It is when I relax and allow myself to become indulgent or distracted that I get off track.

Discipline is doing what ever it takes especially when you don’t want to! And doing it well and without an attitude!

In designing my commitment, I need to factor in not only a daily inventory of my direction, I also need to have the proper attitude regardless of how I am “feeling”.

Discipline is to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
Putting off making an important decision could be to plan for failure. The philosophy of an achiever includes margins for error (being human) and the “mid-course direction change” required to get back on track as quickly as the error is identified.

Whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not.
I need to resolve that it doesn’t have to be pleasant or the “right timing” I don’t have to like it or want to do it, I just need to do it! This, of course does not include training to the point of overtraining, training with a legitimate injury, or illness. In other words this is not intended to allow for overdoing anything. I should not take this as an occasion to find fault with this philosophy, rather I should factor in fail-safes to help me avoid laziness, knowing our human condition.

Discipline is not eating when you want to, and only because you want to.
Here is where I address any excuse to eat for pleasure. This is an area that has to be dealt with to help me ensure success. Just because I want it (whatever, food etc.) doesn’t mean that I should have it-especially if it will take me away from my goal. So I ask myself, will this get me closer to my goal or take me further from my goal? The answer to that question should determine the action that I take.


Discipline is not drinking when you want to and only because you want to.
Drinking (could be anything) for pleasure also needs to be identified, or else I will fool myself into indulging in some indiscretion that I did not make myself aware of. Aren’t we tricky? Then I would convince myself that, “for the life of me, I can’t figure out what went wrong!” I need to be honest and committed even when there is no one else around.

It’s not for everyone -- just those who want to win!
To require excellence for myself means that I need to have a working philosophy that identifies all of (that I know of) the pitfalls that I may encounter and an idea of how I would attempt to remedy them. And certainly this isn’t for everyone; it’s for those who are striving for excellence. And yet excellence is not unrealistic. Excellence is not perfectionism. Excellence is doing my best each and every time I try. And I have learned that each “best” can be different, and I have learned to accept that. The outcome of such a pursuit that involves responsibility and accountability would be maturity.

As an athlete I’m not looking for excuses why I can’t -
I’m looking for reasons why I can – Carlos DeJesus



The Purpose Of Discipline Is To Birth A Habit.
By Dr. Mike Murdock

When you perform the same action or task thirty consecutive days, it becomes a Habit.
The psalmist prayed seven times a day.
Daniel prayed three times a day.
Jesus, as was His custom, went to the synagogue regularly.
Uncommon Achievers Do Daily What Common Men Do Occasionally.
Whenever you fail in your life, that failure can be traced to something that was occurring daily in your mind, home or life.
Whenever you succeed in your life, that success can be traced to something occurring daily in your mind, home or life.

Men do not really decide their future—they decide their focus.
Focus creates their habits.
Habits determine their future.

FANTASTIC - Thank you Carlos, I think what you wrote is really important and needs to be inernalised.

TRAINING 1st number is my start weight and 2nd after 4 weeks

Leg ext 10kg 40kg

Leg curls 20 40

Calf Raises 12 60

Quad Blaster b/wt b/wt

pullover 5 12

Bench bar 50

seated row 20 67

laterals 4 8

bent over row 10 30

dips 3 8

curls 4 12

triceps 20 50

upright row 20 35

shrugs 20 40

hyperext b/wt b/wt

ball crunches b/wt b/wt

reverse crunches b/wt b/wt

Making nice progress. Feeling very confident back in the gym.

NUTRITION

My plan may take longer than I thought. After analysis it seems that my metabolism is completely out of whack and needs to be stabilised. I have only been eating on average 1600cals per day which is way too low for me and I need to increase my intake to around 3000 cals per day. Now this has to be done gradually and will take 10 weeks at which stage I start fat burning. That will probably take another 8 weeks or so which takes me to December 22. This is 18 weeks from now so I'm going to extend my SUPERCHALLENGE by 5 weeks and call it a 20 week challenge.

SUMMARY

I'm OK about extending my SUPERCHALLENGE to a 20 week challenge because I really want to do this properly and get it absolutely right. Nutrition plays a very large part in getting into shape and I want to get my matabolism into the best 'fat burning mode' I can.

Discipline and mind set go hand in hand. One doesn't work without the other. Once you have those under control you will be UNSTOPPABLE.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 Day 7

Sunday

What's going on in my head?

Two weeks have disapeared into thin air and what have I learned?...how do I feel?

Well the most important thing I learned was that my daughter values me and believes I am an inspiration to her....and she cared enough to put it down on paper, so to speak, in public. That takes courage AND speaks volumes.

If I had to invent a radical new technology today I think I would be less excited than I am when I read my daughters post knowing that I am an inspiration to her.

That'll put me on a high for a few years.

What else did I learn. I've suddenly realised that slowly but surely the things that I do on a daily basis are more about helping others than they are about making money.....finally I'm getting the balance right and I'm certainly more at peace with myself than ever before.

Physically I am feeling more and more confident every day. It's almost as if I have been like this forever...living with my neck fused to my shoulders by titatium rods, that is. I actually have this fading idea of what I used to feel like.

I am loving the gym and my belief in getting better than I was before gets stronger all the time. So much so that friends say " aren't you going a bit hard, shouldn't you slow down" NO, I've got too much to do.

Emotionally...I have never laid blame for the accident at anyone's door other than my own and I believe a big part of my rapid healing has been my attitude... that I take responsibility for 100% of what happens in my life. That way I never look outward for answers...they are ALWAYS, only inside of me.

You can NEVER win the blame game.

So, all in all my life is wonderful....I am happy and grateful that I am alive, fit and strong and fully able to help others get to where they want to go, in the best way possible.

Again, thank you Carlos DeJesus for your shoulder, brother, you are a rock.


Saturday, August 16, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 Day 6

What's going on in my head?

Don't know about you but I think that anybody who is a father would call his life a triumph if the way he lived, the things he said and the truths he taught caused his children to learn the lessons needed to keep out of trouble and live life as a responsible, giving member of society. To be happily married have wonderful children and above all to be happy.

So you can imagine how incredible I felt when I got this comment on my blog.

dad, i have to tell you that you really are such a huge inspiration considering all you have been through I really have no excuse for being down, not following though, i too will start to analyse things like you do and relook at situations, your daily blog really keeps me going and i look forward to my "daily read" - thanks dad.

Wow, nothing I can say will top that. Brings tears to my eyes.

TRAINING

Cardio day to day....love it....going to shoot for 10mins of Carlos' sprint/coast routine

NUTRITION

Analysis done by monday - then the fun begins

SUMMARY

It's the weekend, test rugby and the Olympic games. I've done my exercise so I might just do the lying on the couch thing this afternoon.

Have a fabulous weekend.



Friday, August 15, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 Day 5

What's going on in my head?

I got another spark when reading an article today which really made me think. Who we are is logically the sum total of our self image. In other words " As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." So....when you set goals for yourself and don't achieve them, why is that? Because by it's very nature a goal should be something outside of your grasp, otherwise it's not going to present much of a challenge, therefore your self image needs to match the enormity of the goal.

Simply put 'you need to elevate your self image from the get go in order to believe you can reach the goal.'

If you don't believe and you don't make, or bail on the goal, your self image takes a knock. Each time this happens you go " you see, I knew I couldn't really do it. I don't know why I bother."

When Michael Phelps started winning races and his coach told him he could be a world champion believe me he started believing with everything he had that he COULD be the most dynamic swimmer on the planet, and so he is.

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Don't sell yourself short... you are a wonderful, fantastic, unique human being with amazing talents, start believing in yourself and put those talents to good use helping others and just watch how your life changes overnight.

TRAINING

Super session today 1 set at a 3 x 3 cadence to failure

Leg Ext
Leg Curls
Calf raises
Quad Blaster
Pullovers
BB Bench
Seated rows
lateral raises
bent over rows
dips
curls
tricep pushdowns
upright rows
Hyperextensions

NUTRITION

Still in the analysis phase of my eating. Couple more days and I'm done.

SUMMARY

Sticks and stones will break my bones but words can never harm me. A knee jerk reaction to that would be "what was the guy smoking when he wrote that." Actually he's right if you have the self image to deal with that kind of stuff. If you havn't, get working on becoming the wonderful, incredible human being that you are.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 day 4

What's going on in my head?

Quantum Physics is a very interesting subject because if you get to understand a tiny bit of it you start understanding God's power. For instance, it is proven, scientifically that we are all made from the same stuff. You, me, tables, your ferrari, a gulf stream G4 jet. Molecular particles. Furthermore everything is dynamic. It is always moving. A table under a microscope will be seen to be moving. A tree a flower, water.

Do you know that tests have been done which categorically proves that water...say in a lake, will produce more beautiful, symmetrical crystals if spoken to kindly and will produce a mess of crystals if abused. Sound completely whacky...check it out for yourself.

Kinds gives new meaning to talking to your rose bushes doesn't it. If talking to your water makes it purer, and knowing that water is life sustaining maybe we should all be chatting nicely to our water before we chug it down eight times a day.

Maybe that's why we gravitate towards some people....because the frequency waves we put out resonate to the other person and vice versa. Have you ever wondered why you sometimes have a bad feeling about someone you have seen but never spoken to. Maybe that's why people who love to give unconditionally have happy lives..because what we put out is what we get back.

Maybe that's why, if we live life with gratitude and thankfulness...that's exactly what we get back.

Now....if you put the power of the Universe together with 'The One' who created it and you tap into that power...for we all can....are you not invincible.

If you just stop and THINK about all this for a while....it can get you pretty excited about life...your life....can't it?

You can HAVE, BE and DO anything you want....ANYTHING. Now go and get into shape.

TRAINING

Cardio day today. Repeating my 2 min warm up, 4 x 4 min intervals with increasing inclines.

NUTRITION

Just waiting for the software to analyse my current eating patterns and I'll then be able to detail exactly what I'm eating and why.

SUMMARY

Life happens with or without you so instead of just drifting with the tide why not just accept that you can be and do whatever you wish and go for it. What's the worst that can happen?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 day 3

What's going on in my head?

What sets Phelps apart from mere mortals? At 22 he is already a major star and has changed the face of swimming. Even our own Ryk Neethling an olympic gold medal holder at the Athens Olympics has called him a freak.

I think he is a normal kid with enormous talent and THE RIGHT MINDSET. You cannot potentially become the greatest Olympian in history on talent alone.

He keeps his goals on his nightstand and only his coach and he know what they are. Not even his mother knows.

I imagine he is open to and uses every technique available to improving his times and for the last year his every waking and a lot of his sleeping moments are committed to Olympic Gold, lots of them.

Again I think the secret is THE RIGHT MINDSET. The streets are littered with talented people who thought they were to good to work or train hard.

I hope he does it....but, I'd like to see what he does after that. I mean how do you set a goal to eclipse " The best Olympian in history".

Spitz came up with a cute remark when asked how it would be if Phelps won all the gold. His reply was that Phelps would be like "the second man on the moon" if he equalled Spitz record.

If he bettered the record he would would be like " The first man on Mars".

Make no mistake winning at anything, especially your own transformation is SIMPLE but it ain't EASY... and it makes sense to use every tool at your disposal to reach your destination.

Don't limit yourself and end up short of the line. Go find whatever you need to get you to VICTORY.

YOU CAN DO IT, Because you ARE UNIQUE and in God's eyes...... just as talented as Michael Phelps.

TRAINING

Did a make up session because I left my routine at home today but I worked hard and efficiently and felt great afterwards and am really starting to feel good and confident about training. Thank you Carlos

NUTRITION

Still working on getting my eating 100% with the Physique Transformation program so will reveal what I'm eating in a day or two.

I am eating very clean in the mean time.

SUMMARY

Use whatever tools you have available to be the best you can. Study...the internet is an incredible source of free information. Be careful with what you choose to believe however.
Use your common sense and intuition. Products that claim to put on 30lbs of muscle or help you lose 30 lbs of fat in 30 days are quite obviously garbage.

If it were that easy we would all be photo models.

Be the best that YOU can be.





Tuesday, August 12, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 day 2

What's going on in my head?

This is where the accountability rubber meets the road. I was up early this morning to train clients and forgot to take a pain pill even though I had a headache. Not too smart.

Fast forward 3 hours, cardio time. I committed to my coach yesterday that I would try a cardio routine of his which sounded fairly daunting. Done.

Fast forward another 3 hours and I've done the cardio, helped a friend who was looking for some inspiration and have just got home to do my post. Do I feel like doing it...NO because now, that early morning headache is a jackhammer the size of the empire state building inside my head.

I have no other time today to do the post and truthfully...my word is more important than my headache. But boy do I hope the medication kicks in soon.

TRAINING

Walking vs. *Ergometer
*An ergometer is a stationary cycle that allows the user to exercise the upper body as well as the lower body muscles simultaneously.

Pro’s Of Walking Column A

1. Calorie burning
2. No special Equipment needed
3. Uses mostly leg muscles
4. No membership to a club needed
5. Set your own schedule (time)



Pro’s Of Using An Ergometer

1. All Of Column A! (Except #2)
2. Uses upper body and arms
3. Eliminates danger of falling
4. Eliminates the danger of being an automobile casualty.
5. Eliminates injury from :
· Weather conditions (inclimate)
· Uneven terrain (hidden holes)
· Road conditions (slippery, gravel-unstable)
· Trauma to feet, knees, and hips

6. If it’s raining, hot or cold you can still use your ergometer.

Here's an interesting 5 minute Cardio workout.
Using an ergometer
Warm Up for 1 minute at about 50 rpm's

After the warm up Go all out for 20 seconds then coast for 10 seconds
Going immediately into an all out for 20 seconds followed by a coast for 10 seconds
that's one minute.
Let me know if you can do a 5 minute All Out- Coast


So, Carlos' challenge was "Let me know if you can do a fiveminute All Out - Coast"

Give it a try if you think it's easy.

Carlos, my friend, for me personally, our commercial gym doesn't have one so I used a stationary bike. Taking into account the fact that my arms were not moving this is a tough workout, if you go flat out. I managed to do it + another 15 minutes of intervals, but yes it works you, no question.

NUTRITION

Still working on my perfect nutrition plan from http://www.physiquetransformation.com/ and will have it down soon. Eating super clean in the meantime.

SUMMARY

I feel good that I've kept my commitment even though I'm not feeling great and keeping self promises is the best way to boost your self image.

I'm now going to sleep.

Monday, August 11, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 2 Day 1

What's going on in my head?

I have just had tea with a client of mine who is taking some time off from training and she was interested to know about how I started my, successful, Property investment business. At the end of my story she told me how uplifted and motivated she felt and what an inspiring story it was and I suddenly realised that each of us have a story to tell that can lift the spirits of others. We can all offer something to others which in turn lifts your own mood. It's a wonderful way to start and move through your day and best of all....it's absolutely free.

Giving uncondionally to others with love is the ONLY way to feed your soul and without feeding your soul, you will NEVER be happy.

Training

Had a fabulous training session today...really felt on top of things.

I have moved back into phase two of my rehabilitation by doing one set of multiple exercises with the 3 x 3 cadence for the same body parts including using the 'Quad Blaster' which now strikes terror in my gym. Everybody gives it a wide berth when they walk in. One of my clients nearly had to cancel his golf game because he was having trouble walking after a set or two. I'm doing full body workouts. (Tip from Carlos..if you try the 3 x 3 cadence a metronome is great for keeping time.)

I will list exercises and amount of weight on wednesday.

Nutrition

Although I'm eating very clean I've decided to head back to Physique Transformation for my eating strategy. I was using it before I had my accident and have great faith in it.

So again I'll list my eating plan once I've got it sorted.

SUMMARY

I am feeling so much love and gratitude for everything and everybody right now but the main thing is that I'm acting on it. I am finding that the more energy I give to others the more I have. My heart is filled with gratitude and BIG UP to my Creator for guiding me to the only way to complete happiness as far as I'm concerned.

Especially a heartfelt thanks to Carlos DeJesus at http://www.carlosdejesustotalfitness.com/ for everything he is doing for me. This man is a Champion in many more ways than just one, a World Champion.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to perfect health - ' THE SUPER CHALLENGE'

Week 1 - Day 7

Sunday today and for me it will be a rest day. From training from clean eating from thinking.

What do I eat on a rest day?

  1. Breakfast Cup of herbal tea and 2 spicy buns
  2. Lunch Escargot as a starter and King Prawns as a main dish at wonderful Portuguese restaurant not far from my girl's home
  3. Mid pm Bowl of ice cream and nuts
  4. Dinner Pasta dish

Have a wonderful weekend.

Summary of Week 1

Very happy with the way it went. Trained very well, and ate super clean apart from the lack of variety. Week 1 gone.

My fifteen week journey back to perfect health - ' THE SUPER CHALLENGE'

Week 1 - Day 6

What's going on in my head?

It's empty today, saturday.

TRAINING

Walking on the treadmill. 2 min warm up. 4 x 1 min at increasing speed finishing on 7km ph. Not very quick I know but remember I can't run...so to elevate my HR I bumped up the incline 1% per set and did 4 sets. Got a reasonable w/o for my level of fitness. Am happy for now.

I will be working out more strenuous cardio sessions as I go along.

NUTRITION

OK, don't get on my case here but I had a day where I was here there and everywhere without planning so I didn't eat junk food but I didn't eat much FOOD either I know, I know.

Meal 1 Protein/Banana smoothy

Meal 2 Protein shake/.skim milk

Meal 3 Protein shake/skim milk

Meal 4 Protein bar

Meal 5 Protein shake/skim milk

Summary

Went to the gym in the am, went to watch rugby in the pm, went to a movie in the evening. Day done.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 1 Day 5

What's going on in my head?

I was reading an article that really resonated with me and I know that my coach and good friend Carlos DeJesus will subscribe to this but the 'truth' about health and fitness and getting into shape is the following

' Getting into shape and staying that way is NOT about what your magical training program looks like. It is NOT about your super fantastic low blah blah eating program. It is NOT about your incredible home multi station gym with TV at each station.

It IS about your mindset. Think about it. To get the best results you need to be visualising an outcome. You need to be training with intensity and you need to be precise with what you stick in your mouth. You need goals and you need daily action steps.

If you do not have the 'RIGHT MINDSET' at the get go and if you can't find ways to make it more powerful each day you might as well stay right there on the coach and shout for someone to bring you another cold one along with the Nachos. Well at least you're watching sport right.

That is your starting point. A burning desire to achieve your goal that leads to the 'will to want to'. Once you have that all powerful mindset firmly in place...you can't help but succeed.

TRAINING

Mon, wed, fri, repeat for resistance training. The 3 x 3 protocal (3 seconds positive, 3 seconds negative) is just awesome. For one it helps you feel out your body, and focus on the muscle you are trying to exercise, which of course is critical to continued sculpting and secondly time under load is something not many people know about. You might want to Google the subject and see what you come up with. It is an important part of any resistance training.

As Carlos alluded to the other day, pushing a weight upwards flat out and then letting gravity just about smash your sternum on the way down is an easy way to end your career as a bodybuilder. I am not kidding when I tell you that people have been killed this way in the gym.

Progress is ALL about periodisation and CORRECT form and ALL lifters can learn from experienced people like CARLOS. I know I certainly am.

NUTRITION

Meal 1 Protein/banana/skim milk smoothy (5am)

Meal 2 Protein/skim milk shake, Jungle oats + apple chopped in

Meal 3 Protein/skim milk shake + 1 apple

Meal 4 Tub FF cottage cheese + tub low fat flavoured yoghurt

Meal 5 Protein/skim milk shake

Meal 6 BBQ grilled chicken + 2 different salads + 2 small baked potatos
(Went to dinner with friends so I had no choice with food.)

Looking at my nutrition it would seem that I am consuming a lot of shakes. This is true and I am not getting maximum thermic effect. I need to be more careful with my planning and not use (on the run) as an excuse.

SUMMARY

I am feeling that I'm really getting on top of things. I am feeling very confident about my ability to achieve my goals and that may be due to my "many times a day" affirmations which help me to change my attitude to limiting beliefs.

I find that I am moving slower than I used to, more deliberate almost and my experience tells me that, that part of my body language is due to a change of attitude regarding life. I used to do everything on the run. Now I'm taking time to "look" at things as I walk, to appreciate things, to observe people, to stop and greet people, to do something nice for someone and all of this is only one of the POSITIVE outcomes following my accident.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, please, enjoy yours.

Friday, August 8, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week 1 day 4

What's inside my head?

I have the upper hand because I know what's going to happen. Walking into the commercial gym where I train, to do cardio I bumped into a few of the personal trainers that I know.

Oh nice....very nice of you to grace us with your presence, so where have you been for the last three months. Sneering very quickly turns to apology and compassion and questions, questions and that's how a 20 min cardio session turns into a 2 hour cardio session. An overiding emotion when people see me is shock and the realisation of how 'in an instant' you can go from 100mph to minus zero. I think that's a good thing since it may encourage people to take better care of themselves which would make me very happy.

One trainer, a martial arts expert said to me 'This is a good thing because now you will turn your body into a machine.' He's right I will...I can feel it already....a winning attitude, an attitude of success....I feel like I'm already there, my body just has to catch up.

Isn't life wonderful

Training

Interval walkng on the treadmill using a 2 minute warm up and 4 min intervals.
When I reached max pace at a walk I cranked up the incline.....until the machine freaked out and tripped. A trainer was talking to me and I think she got a bigger fright than me. She reached out to grab me which gave me a bit of a scare....big fun.
20 mins later and I was breathing hard. I enjoyed the session and will experiment with ways of making it more effective.

Nutrition

Meal 1 Protein/banana smoothy early am.

Meal 2 Protein shake

Meal 3 Chicken breast/ fresh garden salad / baked potato

Meal 4 Cottage cheese ff / yoghurt

Meal 5 3 egg omelette with tomato and baked potato

Meal 6 Protein shake

Summary

Had a focussed day and I'm very happy with my progress. I'm on track for my goals. Emotionally I'm feeling great. When I manage my pain medication correctly things are very cool. I guess my body is telling me it's a little early to try and stop pain meds.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"


Week 1 and 'Quad Blaster' Superchallenge pic





First... thank you for all the support, it is very important in my effort to make a major transformation.
What's in my head today?

Started the day sore and ended it way worse. I had a very sore neck and emotionally was feeling a bit down. What can you do when that happens? Well I can only tell you what I do. I first examine the reason why and in my case there are many reasons.

  1. New car new driving position.
  2. I don't carry pain pills with me so I don't take them when I should
  3. Picking up weights for clients
  4. Standing for long stretches
  5. Training without being careful to watch my form

Now that I know what the causes are I have to decide what to do about it.

  1. Firstly I have to accept that only I am responsible...I cannot blame anyone else.
  2. Carry pain pills
  3. Explain to clients that they need to pick up their own weights
  4. Sit down and rest more often
  5. Focus more on perfect form

Now once I've done that and I realise that I CAN avoid all of the above my emtional blackness lifts and happily I get on with my day. If you don't do this, likelyhood is that you get further and further into a black hole from which you struggle to emerge. Like they say, " when you are digging yourself into a hole there's only one solution, STOP digging."

The ultimate solution is to avoid the things that are going to hurt. Easier said than done.

TRAINING

A repeat of monday with the exception of movement overhead. We've decided to limit overhead movement for now so Military Press becomes lateral raises. It was felt, with some input from a physio that I was in danger of blowing a disc in my neck with continued overhead exercises. We took the advice

NUTRITION

Meal 1 Protein/banana smoothy (early am)

Meal 2 Protein shake. Cooked jungle oats

Meal 3 Ostrich sausage + large green salad + half baked potato

Meal 4 1 tub FF cottage cheese + 1 tub low fat flavoured yoghurt

Meal 5 Chicken breast + brown rice + large salad
Meal 6 Fresh strawberries + strawberry yoghurt FF + nuts

SUMMARY

As we get towards the end of week one I'm happy with my progress both in training and eating. I will tighten up my nutrition further and add more fresh vegetables although I eat a lot of steamed veggies and have lots of salads.

My training is going well...and if you think 1 set of 3 x 3 cadence is easy, try it sometime.

Here are my pics as promised 1 full body shot and 1 quad shot for my "Quad Blaster" challenge. The quad challenge is to see, specifically how much I can change my legs using Carlos DeJesus's amazing 'Quad Blaster' machine.




Wednesday, August 6, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"


Luxurious grey leather interior Top class teutonic styling
with obligatory bottle of water

Week 1 day 2

What's happening in my head

One of the limitations I've had since my accident is driving a motor vehicle. I found that my visibility was limited and reversing was a real problem for me and a little dangerous for the public. Any vehicle has blind spots and for me I admit reversing was a bit hit and miss. However there are two ways to overcome that and I chose both. Buy a new motor car with better visibility and/or have Park Distance Control fitted. Little sensors fitted inside the rear bumper that alert you if you get close to hitting something. Makes your life a whole lot easier.
So just for fun here is are some pictures of my new beauty.

Actually I have an apology to make. I am struggling to get my camera working properly so my own starting pics will appear tomorrow. You get the car instead.

Am feeling really good today which mean I am pain free and looking forward to my cardio day. Being pain free really improves my mental state.

Now...I have to admit that I need to get over something that is probably holding me back. Every day a few people ask me how I am. You know ' G'morning, how are you today. Well my answer to that is 'not great actually' and after the 'why' question I proceed to explain what happened to me.

That's it...no more. In future I will just say I'm great thank you which is what I usually am. Analysing it I have to say. I'm just looking for sympathy...and that my friends is unacceptable behaviour. Firstly it's dishonest and second it's cowardly to hide behind something which actually isn't there any more.

I am fine, I feel great, life is good....and as I say...that's it no more will I say that.

Whew now that I've got that off my chest let's talk about:

TRAINING

Cardio day today and I have decided that I will vary my cardio depending on how I feel. A great session would be: walk to the gym, 10 min intervals on the stationery bike, 2 min step ups, 10 mins on the bike, 2 min step ups and walk home which is about 2 kms.

Today however, my first session I drove to the gym.
5 min interval on the bike
2 min step up (keep up heart rate)
5 min interval on the bike

I was breathing hard after that believe it or not.

And now Carlos has something very relevent to say about the methodology behind my return to resistance training:

Dougal’s Set & Rep Protocols & Why

The casual reader will take one look at Dougal’s initial program and perhaps think, “Well that’s not to bad for someone in therapy”.

A closer look will bring a lot of clarity and possibly even surprise.

There is no question that Dougal needs to start back with caution. But the exercise sessions need to be productive and they need to have direction. How do we get Dougal training with a meaningful workload that will actually provide the intensity to produce results in this early stage without stressing all the wrong places and for all of our good intentions cause a re-injury which would cause a set back?

Enter Measured Reps

Measured Reps you say. Yes repetitions that are measured with time. Dougal’s reps were 3 seconds positive and 3 seconds negative, 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down.

Exercise form is very important but since Dougal is an accomplished trainer we didn’t need to spend any time with this important aspect of his training.

So it’s a given (in this instance) that Dougal is performing his movements with slow, deliberate movements.
Jerking the weights up and dropping them down (to use heavier weights) would be dangerous in therapy and non-productive in body sculpting and has no place in proper weight training.

His rep performance is to the place of total failure. He does not terminate the set because he got distracted, or because there was muscular discmfort, he doesn’t have to do that. The set will terminate itself when he can no longer manage another rep with good form. This is a very expeditious way of strength training.

Uncommon Math

Dougal’s rep target is 10 slow reps. Once he reaches 10 slow reps with good form, he has mastered that weight so he increases his weight for his next session in that exercise.

The average time it takes a trainee to do 10 regular repetitions is about 20 seconds. So if Dougal is doing 10 reps each rep lasting 6 seconds at the end of that set he has put his muscles under tension for 60 seconds.
The equivalent of 3 regular sets!

So now when we go back and look at his start up program we can see that his 11 exercises are equivalent to 33 exercises, we walk away from that with a different totally different understanding.

Traveling At The Speed Of Dougal

To further insure that Dougal’s progress is not hindered, we are paying strict attention to his recovery rate.
Dougal is staying in his own lane, and he is traveling at the speed of Dougal.

So if we see his “numbers flatten” we can make immediate mid-course adjustments and avoid over-training.
Our numbers get flat when we are not making some type of improvement each workout.

It would be fairly safe to say if Dougal is not getting stronger then he may be over-training, and this can be spotted right away, we will back off by doing to 2 days per week instead of 3 days per week of training sessions.

Not just a good barometer for someone in therapy it’s a good rule of thumb for any one involved in weight training.




NUTRITION

Meal 1 early am protein/banana smoothy

Meal 2 Protein shake (on the run)

Meal 3 Ostrich sausage salad

Meal 4 1 tub FF cottage cheese/Low fat flavoured yoghurt

Meal 5 Protein shake/handful almonds

SUMMARY

I had a really hectic day yesterday and never stopped. My meals were a little out of sync time wise and I didn't get in a sixth meal. That'll change.

Was happy with my cardio training since it's my first day.

Overall things are going according to plan and I'm excited about weight training tomorrow.

Thank you Carlos for your input and support, you are everything a good coach should be.







Tuesday, August 5, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"


" Oh this is so cool, what an amazing machine "
" OweeOweeeOwee, this is BURNING my quads"








"This machine is amazing"
Week one day 2
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY HEAD
When I awoke yesterday morning, I had a feeling of exitement deep inside of me. I wondered what it was and then remembered 'today was day 1 of my superchallenge' Immediately I went to the kitchen and blended a protein powder, banana smoothie. That was part of my planning the night before. The keeping of comittment had begun.

I intend to have a smoothie every morning on waking up, which is usually around 5am. (I believe that meal to be critically important in setting the tone for the day.) Used to be 4.15am to work with a client but I've decided to give myself a break. Something my accident has taught is no 1, the money I earn for that session is not worth the stress it causes during the day in fatigue terms.

No 2, slowing down is NOT a bad thing. It certainly extends daily energy levels and 5am ish is not exactly the middle of the day.

What I have found though is that if I don't take pain medication on rising I normally really feel it around 10am. If you have pain medication use it...Doesn't mean you are a drug addict, no noddy badges for bravery here.
Emotionally I had a great day. I've found that I really can choose what kind of day I want to have. Over years of understanding that it IS my CHOICE and having real faith that things will work out I know that even the worst kind of situation, like the one I had will eventually work out in a positive way.

I personally believe that God has already given me everything I need for successful happy living with abundance and my faith in that has proved it so often I don't doubt for a second any more.
TRAINING
The coach, originally started my rehabilitation off at an absolute base therapeutic level...stretching and flexibility.

Since I had been doing that for some time I felt comfortable getting back into my training at the first level of resistance training that Carlos has prescribed before my final surgery which with one exception.

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that my baby arrived on friday and yesterday was my first session with "The Quad Blaster" A brutal machine designed to build bulk and cut your legs into awesome shape. Since I cannot load weight onto my shoulders this is exactly what I need. To give you some idea of what I'm talking about here are a couple of pictures of one of my clients at work with this very smart, simple but effective design by Carlos himself.

My session went like this:
1 set Quad Blaster (body weight)
1 set Hyper extensions (body weight)
Calf raises (10kg)
BB Bench Press (Olympic Bar)
Lat Pull downs 35kgs
DB Shoulder Press 7kgs each hand
DB Bicep curls 7kgs each hand
Tricep push downs 35kgs
DB shrugs 14kgs each hand
Swiss ball crunches Body weight
Hanging leg raises Bodyweight
Pretty impressive huh! hehehe. Well I gotta start somewhere.
NUTRITION
Meal 1 Banana/Protein smoothie
Meal 2 Banana/Protein smoothie
Meal 3 Tub low fat cottage cheese/Low fat flavoured Yoghurt
Meal 4 Dried beef/large plate steamed vegetables
Meal 5 Protein/low fat milk/ shake
SUMMARY
My day didn't go according to plan and I found myself throwing too many shakes down my throat. Now whilst that is better than nothing I would rather eat solid food for the thermic effect....so day 1, I reminded myself that I need to plan ahead and cook and pack the night before. My training was great for now
and my emotional state was excellent.

Day One done, see you tomorrow for day two, when I will post my first pics including specific quad pics so that I can see over time the change in my legs. Can't wait.




Monday, August 4, 2008

My fifteen week journey back to Perfect Health "THE SUPER CHALLENGE"

Week one Day 1

The big day has arrived. I said that something BIG was happening and here it is.

I, through, Adam Waters, and the Shreddersphere, was extremely fortunate to make contact with Carlos DeJesus, a world Champion Natural bodybuilder, medical therapist and personal trainer.

Because of my uncertainty about my Rehabilitation since my accident and Carlos’s reputation and qualifications as a renowned medical therapist as well as the obvious fact that he has the reached the pinnacle in competition as a ‘natural’ bodybuilder, I communicated with Carlos and asked he would be willing to give me some direction, ‘ a way back to perfect health if you will’.

As is Carlos he went way beyond that and I am extremely proud to be able to say that he is now my coach, mentor, trainer, and good friend.

What does that have to do with ‘BIG NEWS’

Thanks again to my good friend Adam Waters and the reinforcement of the accountability ‘principle’ I am thrilled to announce that Carlos and I from today are undertaking a 15 week ‘SUPERCHALLENGE’.

From near death, to perfect health and beyond in 15 weeks, if you will.

The blog will include our ‘thoughts’, philospophical viewpoints, helpful information, training methods, nutritional principles and my eating plan that we believe will be helpful to people in situations similar to mine or ordinary people struggling to find their way to health and fitness.

The really BIG NEWS is that at the end of these 15 weeks the compiled information will be the BOOK that you Shredders have been encouraging me to write all these months!”

The reason for the book is obvious. Many, many people are finding it difficult or just flatout have no idea about health and fitness. This book will be a unique approach on one’s mans journey to ‘hell and back’ and the man who helped him get back to perfect health. A how to based on principles and not specifics. Mental attitude, what approach to take, goals etc.

This book will be for people like me who have had any kind of life threatening life shake up, from accidents to attempted suicide to serious depression and how to get back to top condition. It will also be for people who are just having trouble with the principles of health and fitness.

So, starting today, I begin my journey back to being the absolute best I can be. Tomorrow I will outline my goals and action steps, my eating and my training.

From Carlos. The unique approach of the book is the Therapeutic Model that Dougal will be using. Dougal's story is different because it begins with a Therapeutic Model to deal with the many different challenges of Recovery to full function and then beyond.

A final thought: to really be effective there needs to be a brutally accurate description of how you are really feeling on a daily basis and why. Because this is what real world people in similar situations want to know about. A “good day” needs an explanation as to why it’s “good”. How does someone who is recovering from a major injury and surgery think, and feel, and why? In this case, Dougal. This will offer insights into the person, the thinking, the philosophy of Dougal and why you are a success and why others are not, and how you can help them become more of a success through how they think. How do you bounce back when bad things happen? This as much as anything is going to be an important part of the book. Your story. Part of your success story is how you have found help and support from various sources. (Me, The Shredders, etc.) and their role in your success.

Where do you fit in? You have all given me so much support and you will be part of this so...I ask all of you for your support during this journey, which is NOT going to be a walk in the park. All the shredders I know and those who just read the blog, please visit regularly and MAKE comments that will spur me on to greater things. You may even get a mention in the book – if you are a regular commenter.

Thank you for all your support up to this point. What a ride it’s going to be.

And Adam, thank you, for it it wasn't for your amazing work, I would probably still be looking for a way to "be accountable" on a large scale. You my friend are a pioneer with great vision. I hope you'll be one of the contributors in the 'book'

Saturday, August 2, 2008

THE CRUSADES - by dougal macdonald Chief Evangalist - 2nd 28 day | Day 21

BREAKING NEWS -----BREAKING NEWS -------BREAKING NEWS

I am on day 21 of a second 28 day plan....however having started training again my plans got a bit de railed when I had to go back into hospital for further surgery. SO.......

I'm thrilled to announce that I have the all clear to commence training again. Why on earth would you be interested in knowing that you ask.

WELL.....here is the big news.

As result of being able to start exersizing again I have decided to run a MAJOR CHALLENGE and I need all of your help.

At the end of it all .......anybody like to guess at what may follow?????

I am formulating my final plan over the weekend and will start - and reveal on monday what I'm talking about.

It's going to be HUGE.

Friday, August 1, 2008

THE CRUSADES - by dougal macdonald Chief Evangalist - 2nd 28 day | Day 20

8 days from now the biggest sporting event in the world begins. We are going to see world records being broken, medalists dq'd for drug use. Heartbroken athletes not achieving their potential and so on.

At the Athens Olympic they were still planting grass during the opening ceremony, by contrast the Beijing Olympic stadium was finished a year ago.

What I'm getting to, is why some win and why do some lose.

There are many reasons but one of the biggest is, winners plan. China does not work on 5 year plans...they have a thousand year plan. In so doing they can focus on the job in hand and get rid of ego since by the time the job is complete they will have been dust for a very long time.

Athletes also have plans....and the champions are the ones who do not deviate from those plans. They are often not the most talented but they are the most dedicated.

To paraphrase the great Carlos DeJesus...Everything you do should revolve around and take you towards the fruition of that plan. From what you eat to who you associate with and what magazines you read should take you ever closer.

However a plan is no good without 100% comittment. If you can't climb inside and live the plan until it's done. Then my friend your goal is not right for you.

So...as I write today, I look forward to watching the games with interest and observing which athletes not only had the best plans, but those who inhabited their plans for four years or longer...Those will be the ones clutching gold, silver and bronze.. and some of them, won't be the most talented.