P-Max The SPRINTING Man

[Plateau_Max]

Alright so it's happened. I've been told by doctors both military and non-military that if I don't cease my incredibly long bouts of running and cardio that my left knee and left foot will never heal properly.

This is a sign to me. For the past few months I have seriously considered giving up the life of a marathon trainer in favor of a more sprinter-like training regimine. I really would like to see what I would look like with sub 10% body fat which is not ideal at all for distance cardio training. I think I could keep myself on a lower carb intake regime that will satisfy my cardio and weight training needs while allowing me to lose a bit more fat.

So... Here goes everything...

Monday - HIIT
10 minutes Eliptical IT
5 minute rest
10 minutes Bicycle IT
8 minute rest
10 minutes Running IT
15 minute rest

Upper Body Calisthenics
--Pushups, 2 sets - 35 reps
--Bicycle Crunches, 2 sets - 75 reps
--Shadow box, 2 sets - 4 burst 30 reps
--Toe Touches, 2 sets - 30 reps
--Pullups, 4 sets - 10 reps
--Crunches, 2 sets - 50 reps

Tuesday - Push. Week 1 of 2 for Power

Workout A:
-Flat Bench Barbell Press - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Laying EZ Bar Tricep Extentions - 4 sets, 6-8 reps
-Incline Bench Barbell Press - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Overhead Cable Tricep Pushdowns - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Barbell Military Press - 4 sets, 6-8 reps

1 Mile Run (as fast as possible)
5 minute cooldown walk

Workout B:
-Incline Bench Dumbell Press - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Standing One Arm Tricep Extentions - 4 sets per arm, 6-8 reps
-Cable Butterflies (straight out) - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Cable Tricep Pushdowns - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Seated Dumbell Military Press - 4 sets, 4-6 reps

1 Mile Run (as fast as possible)
5 minute cooldown walk

Wednesday - The 3 Hard Miles
1 mile as fast as possible
2 minute cooldown walk
1 mile as fast as possible
4 minute cooldown walk
1 mile as fast as possible
15 minute rest period

20 minutes on the Heavy Bag

Thursday - Pull. Week 1 of 2 for Power

Workout A:
-Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-EZ Bar Preacher Curls - 3 sets, 6-8 reps
-Close Grip Rows - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Alternating Dumbell Hammer Curls - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Bent Over Rows - 3 sets, 4-6 reps
-Standing Laterals - 4 sets, 6-8 reps

1 Mile Run (as fast as possible)
5 minute cooldown walk

Workout B:
-Shoulder Width Grip Underarm Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets, 4-6 reps
-H-Bar Hammer Curls - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Wide Grip Rows - 3 sets, 4-6 reps
-Alternating Dumbell Curls - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Deadlifts (straight leg) - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Modified Laterals - 3 sets, 4-6 reps

1 Mile Run (as fast as possible)
5 minute cooldown walk

Friday - HIIT
10 minutes Bicycle IT
5 minute rest
10 minutes Eliptical IT
8 minute rest
10 minutes Running IT
15 minute rest

Lower Body Calisthenics
--Squats - 2 sets, 30 reps
--Jumping Jacks - 2 sets, 75 reps
--Lunges - 2 sets per leg, 25 reps
--Back Kicks - 2 sets per leg, 20 reps
--Jumping Squats - 2 sets, 15 reps

Saturday - Legs. Week 1 of 2 for Power
-Squats - 4 sets, 4-6 reps
-Quad Extentions - 4 sets, 6-8 reps
-Weighted Lunges - 3 sets per leg, 4-6 reps
-Hamstring Curls - 3 sets, 4-6 reps
-Weighted Back Kicks - 4 sets, 4-6 reps

Sunday - Rest
Refeed on Week 2.
Sex.

 

[DontStop]

I like how you do your HIIT by distance

 

[Plateau_Max]

Yeah most of the high intensity stuff I am experimenting with is based on distance but the actual HIIT days are still timed since the resting portions of the intervals are always variable and it sort of needs to be based on your heart rate and how recovered you feel.

Like the 3 hard miles though, I'm sure if I get my 1 mile time down low enough I'll kick it up and maybe have it be the 3 hard mile and a halfs or something.

 

[Plateau_Max]

Monday went very well. Changed it up a bit though, just the order.

10 Minutes Elliptical
2 minute rest
10 Minutes Running
4 minute rest
10 minutes Cycling
15 minute rest

Upper Body Calisthenics. I won't get into that, I just followed the list I have above.

Also to mention, I'm eating calories for maintenance right now while I experiment with my ability to go through the week on fewer carbs. After this week though I'll go back to eating an excess for my bulk since I am on the Power phase.

 

[Plateau_Max]

Meal 1 - 5:30am
1/4c Oats - 78 cals
2 scoops whey - 260 cals
1c skim milk - 86 cals
--424

Meal 2 - 8:30am
2c Salad (just greens) - 18 cals
3 TBsp Italian Dressing - 19 cals
8 Baby Carrots - 34 cals
6oz Boneless Chicken Breast - 275
--347

Meal 3 - 11:30am
1c Green Beans - 44 cals
1c Chopped Broccoli - 25 cals
6 Baby Carrots - 26 cals
6oz Boneless Salmon Fillet - 245 cals
--320

Meal 4 - 3:00pm
1/2c Chopped Broccoli - 12 cals
1/2c Chopped Carrots - 28 cals
1/2c Green Beans - 22 cals
1/2c Corn - 66 cals
1/4c Oats - 78 cals
1 scoop whey - 130 cals
1c Skim Milk - 86 cals
--422

WORKOUT - 3:00pm to 4:30pm

Meal 5 - 6:00pm
1c Chopped Dried Tuna - 289 cals
1c Salad Greens - 9 cals
2 TBsp Italian Dressing - 13 cals
1 TBsp Peanut Butter - 95 cals
--406

1 hour before bed - Approx. 9:30pm
1 TBsp Peanut Butter - 95 cals
1 scoop Casein Protein (in water) - 120 cals

Total Calories 2153
CPF = 24/52/24

I'd get my carbs lower but I wouldn't be able to sustain my workouts if I did. I may post the diet for my off day... but probably not. Again this is maintenance.

Oh and I think I should mention; I premake most all of my meals. I fit most of them into numbered tupperwear bins that I take to work with me etc.

 

[DontStop]

Alot of veggies eh? perhaps i should start to do the same...

 

[Plateau_Max]

Yes I love veggies, the only thing you need to be careful about is it's tough to keep fat levels down while keeping calorie count up. Also notice I eat 3 different kinds of meat per day.

 

[DontStop]

Ahh yes I saw that. I'd eat more but I HATE seafood. I literally have to force feed myself tuna.

 

[Plateau_Max]

If you hate tuna so much why don't you just cook up a few chicken breasts and rip them to pieces and put them in a baggie? Then you could have your lean protein meat without the sodium or mercury and you won't have to force anything down.

I don't like diets that involve foods people don't like, that's the #1 reason people don't stick to them.

 

[Plateau_Max]

Tuesday was a good day. Couldn't get to the barbell military press so I just used dumbells, got some good sets in though so I didn't feel too bad about it.

>Flat Bench Barbell Press - 6, 6, 4, 4
>Laying EZ Bar Tricep Extentions - 8, 8, 8, 6
>Incline Bench Barbell Press - 6, 6, 4, 4
>Overhead Cable Pushdowns - 6, 6, 4, 4
>Seated Dumbell Military Press - 6, 6, 6, 4

1 mile in 5 minutes, 25 seconds.
5 minute cooldown walk.

 

[Plateau_Max]

It's been a while, and there's much to tell.

I finally got my blood test results back from the doc and there's a lot showing that I need to work on. But all in all it looked real good.

Normal range for cholesterol is 110-200 and mine is 197. Sounds bad at first but my HDL to LDL ratio is 2.43 which is way below the 4.5 - 4.8 that most people have.

Normal range for homosysteine is 5.9 - 16.0 and mine is 15.35. This is out of the danger zone but high for my tastes. I talked things over with the doctor and he said basically the best way to get it down is to eat less animal products like animal meat and dairy. Not a huge deal for me I like vegitibles and prefer soy anyway. I'm going to look in to getting soy protein so I won't be using whey 100% of the time. I'm also going to be substituting casein protein in the morning and at night.

Some other things from my UA culture --

Glucose 79 (65 - 110)
Bun 19 (9 - 21)
Creatine 1.1 (0.8 - 1.5)
NA+ 140 (137 - 145)
K 4.2 (3.6 - 5.0)
CL- 104 (98 - 107)
CO2 28 (22 - 30)

Good stuff all around.

Recently though I had a problem with my intestines somehow failing. I had a much more severe case of this a few months ago when my doctor had me on narcotics for pain after my car accident and they shut down my digestive system almost completely resulting in about 15 hours of straight vomiting, diahrrea, and severe dehydration.

This could be a distant effect from the past problem but because of this I'm going to do my detox week a couple months early (I usually do one once a year in August). Which involves a colonic, and a diet high in antioxidants, a bit of laxitive, and both cranberry and lemon juices daily. Also I will not consume any alcohol for the entire month of July.

Wish me luck I'll keep everyone posted who's interested.

 

[Plateau_Max]

Alright.

Sunday was a good day. I've taken to doing 10 minutes of each cardio machine just going as fast and hard as I can on each one then only taking a few minutes rest and moving on to the next.

Sunday -

10 minutes Elliptical - 2.12 miles - 204 calories registered
5 minute rest
10 minutes Treadmill - 1.61 miles - 185 calories registered
5 minute rest
10 minutes Cycle Machine - 4.2 miles - 105 calories registered
5 minute rest

Squats - 4 sets, 6-6-4-4
Quad Extentions - 4 sets, 6-6-6-6
Weighted Lunges (25lb dumbells) - 4 sets per leg, 6-6-6-6
Hamstring Curls - 4 sets, 6-6-6-4

Tuesday -
10 minutes Treadmill - 1.62 miles - 188 calories registered
5 minute rest
10 minutes Elliptical - 2.2 miles - 234 calories registered
5 minute rest
10 minutes Cycle Machine - 4.3 miles - 102 calories registered
5 minute rest

Flat Bench Barbell Press - 4 sets, 6-6-4-4
Laying EZ Bar Tricep Extentions - 4 sets, 6-6-6-6
Incline Bench Barbell Press - 4 sets, 6-6-4-4
Skull Crushers - 4 sets, 6-6-6-6

Thursday -
10 minutes Elliptical - 2.2 miles - 205 calories registered
5 minute rest
10 minutes Treadmill - 1.59 miles - 185 calories registered
5 minute rest
10 minutes Cycle Machine - 4.22 miles - 108 calories registered
5 minute rest

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns - 4 sets, 6-6-6-5
Seated Dumbell Curls - 4 sets, 5-5-4-4
Close Grip Rows - 4 sets, 6-6-6-6
Seated Dumbell Hammer Curls - 4 sets, 5-5-5-4

Today ought to be a good day too, we'll see. Here's the plan I'll come back to compare and contrast:

Supersets - Push and Abs

Flat Bench Barbell Press -
Decline Bench Situps -
Cable Pushdowns -
Hanging Leg Raises -
Repeat (2 cycles total)

Incline Bench Barbell Press -
Bicycle Kicks -
Overhead One Arm Tricep Extentions -
Hanging Leg Raises -

1 mile run
Repeat (2 cycles total)

 

[Plateau_Max]

So I really miss my long distance cardio sessions. This short bursts lots of sprinting stuff is extremely exhausting but an hour or so afterwards I feel like I didn't do enough.

I think it's just in my head.

 

[Plateau_Max]

Things have been getting a bit better. I once again modified my workouts just a bit because as I said I miss doing extended cardio.

Monday - Cardio
15 Minutes - Elliptical
5 minute rest
15 Minutes - Track
5 minute rest
15 Minutes - Cycle
15 minute rest

Upper Body Calisthenics.

Tuesday - Push, Week 1 of 2 for Shock

Workout A:
Flat Bench Barbell Press - 5 sets
Cable Pushdowns - 4 sets
Incline Bench Barbell Press - 5 sets
Laying H-Bar Tricep Extentions - 5 sets
Decline Bench Barbell Press - 5 sets
Dumbell Military Press - 4 sets

10 Minutes High Intensity Run



We'll see how today goes.

 

[shiznit2169]

Good stuff here

Just a few questions. Is losing BF your goal? I'm just curious because i have been bulking for a while and i'm at a weight where i am starting to gain a little bit of fat so it's time to cut. Thing is, i have never cut before because i have a fast metabolism and i'm also an ectomorph. However, eating like crazy without doing any sort of cardio and just doing heavy resistance training did me wonders but of course i still gained a little fat.

My question is, what kind of "program" do you choose on the treadmill or elliptical and how do you go about doing your intervals for HIIT? Like, if my goal is to lose BF while maintaining muscle, should i sprint all out for 1 minute and then run at a moderate pace for 1 minute and then sprint all out again going back and forth for 20 minutes or so? How long should i run for in order to reach my goal?

Finally, what are your thoughts about running on an empty stomach first thing in the morning? I have heard mixed reviews about that.

 

[Plateau_Max]

I'll go bottom to top on your questions.

Running in the morning on an empty stomach isn't something I personally recommend because I'm an advocate of feeding your brain and body the fuel it needs to support a good workout. If you don't have that good glycogen store built up (IE running first thing in the morning before eating) then your workout isn't going to be as powerful and you won't burn as many calories... not only that your metabolism will cannibalize your skeletal muscle at the same time it burns fat, which is counter productive. Some people it doesn't matter because muscle doesn't matter to them... but the way I see it, it's going to make you weaker, and you're not going to get as good of a workout either.

I prefer to workout in the afternoon when I've got several hours of a good steady supply of healthy nutrients backing my efforts. Plus I'm completely awake, I'm not depleted on any level, and I'm garaunteed to be well hydrated. When I'm with our elite unit (2 weeks every 8 weeks, I work for them) I have to do PT at 0700 'till 0800 every day. So I wake up at 0545, have a bowl of oats with fruit, and take my vitamins around 0615 after I'm all showered and ready to go, then 45 minutes later when I'm at PT I'm primed.

Okay for the "program" topic on my HIIT and basic Treadmil/Elliptical/Cycle use... I just set those things for manual and force myself to do whatever I'm capable. I don't like the varying degrees of resistance the machines pose on you during those "program sets" they have. I just set a resistance level and go all out, every 5 minutes or so I'll kick up the resistance a little. I'm always going balls to the wall on those machines. Treadmills I usually do about 5-6 miles in 45 minutes, Elliptical I go at least 7 miles in 45 minutes, and the cycle... well I just go for about 600 calories, the miles count up crazy fast on those things.

HIIT I always do the 30-45-60 program. I'll run, cycle, or pedal all out 100% effor for 30 seconds, then go at a moderate "resting" pace for 30 seconds, then I'll go for 45 seconds and rest pace for 45, then 60 and 60... then start back at 30. I do this until I hit 20 minutes on whatever machine I'm using that day. The way I see it, if I have enough energy to do more than 20 minutes... I'm not pushing myself hard enough during the first 20. And I never do. (have enough to do more).

Well see here's the thing about my goals. I'm a Meso for sure, but along with my ability to gain muscle fast I'm also cursed with the ability to gain fat VERY VERY easily. I can gain a permanent 2 inches on my waist in a month easy if I'm not careful about how I eat and train. My specific goals are just to get big but to be as lean as possible 100% of the time. I'm not out to get huge, it's just not me. When I was dedicated to being a marathon runner I would do 2 hours or more of cardio once or twice a week easy, but with my need for a hefty supply of carbs and just food in general I would always stay around 12-14% body fat. That's very lean but not what you would call chizzled. Since the docs told me I can't do the marathons any more I figure I can embrace that fact by targetting myself around 6-8% body fat.

So that's my current goal.

 

[Witchblade]

Ok, I'm going to ask you too.

Can you complete the Tabata Protocol with 8 sets of 20s all-out sprints and 10s rest jogs in between? Secondly, how fast can you run the 100 yards? You seem like a good runner.

I'm also curious why you don't list the weights used. How are we supposed to critique your progress this way?

Anyway, sprinting is where it's at! Long distance running is for Africans!

Keep up the good work!

 

[Plateau_Max]

I haven't trained the Tabata Protocol but I'm thinking of giving it a whirl just to spice things up in my routine. I'll be sure to post anything in my journal.

I never competed the 100 yards, tried it a couple times last year and the best I got was 17. I'm sure I could do better but as I said, I never competed with it so it wasn't really on my agenda. Air Force wise the general competition is the 1.5 mile run, so I got that down to 8:12... still looking to improve there too.

 

[Plateau_Max]

So I've missed a few days on my routine here and there but that's to be expected. Life is full of the unexpected interruptions in your projected plans of status quo.

I am however going to be in Abu Dhabi again for a while like I was when I joined the forums last year. Should be interesting.

I must give testament to the Ephedrine and Caffeine stack. I gave it a try for a couple days last year but never kept with it. I've been sticking with it regularly and I must say it's helping me with my new routine I seem to have more energy than usual and I'm really enjoying it. Not to mention one little Ephedrine and two Caffeines will keep my heartrate up for hours unlike NO-Xplode and NO-Vapor which only lasted maybe 90 minutes. Plus it really beats having to choke down that nasty drink mix and getting those nausiating NO-burps.

Been doing my 15 minutes per cardio machine and I feel great. I'm obviously putting WAY more effort into each one and burning a higher total calorie count in the same 45 minutes of cardio than when I was just doing 45 straight on one machine. So the idea of being able to get a better workout by breaking it up with a few minutes of rest every 10-15 minutes is definitely a real winner.