An Arduous Journey Towards Athleticism

Update of Past week's training

2009-12-13T07:27:00.005-05:00

This past week was interesting for me. After having experienced constipation, rapid fat gain and bloating through the "detox" diet prescribed to me, I decided to put a halt to it, and transition to a fat loss diet emphasizing natural and unprocessed food. Anyway, below is a review of my training this past week

Training week of 12/6/09 to 12/12/09

Sunday (12/6/09)
A1) Front Squat- 35 lbs db x 10; 35 lbs db x 10
A2) Lat Pulldowns- 110 x 10; 110 x 10

B1) Reverse Lunges- bw x 10/side; +10 lbs db x 10/side; +10 lbs db x 10/side
B2) Underhand Inverted Row- bw at 6th hole x 10; bw at 6th hole x 10; bw at 6th hole x10

C1) Cable Pull-through- 100 x 10; 110 x 10; 110 x 10
C2) Incline Neutral Grip Db Press- 45 lbs db x 10; 45 lbs db x 10; 45 lbs db x 10

D1) Plank Hold- 45 s; 60 s
D2) LYT shouldler circuit (LYTP circuit without the "P")- x 10; x 10

Monday (12/7/09)
Intervals- 6 rounds of 60s/90s on stationary bike

Tuesday (12/8/09)
A1) Good Morning- 95 x 10; 115 x 10; 115 x 10
A2) Pushups- x 10; + clap x 10; + clap x 10

B1) Bulgarian Split Squats- 15 lbs db x 10/side; 15 lbs db x 10/side
B2) Split-Stance Single Arm Cable Row- 50 x 10/side; 60 x 10/side

C1) Step-Up onto bench- bw x 10/side; +ez bar x 10/side
C2) Kneeling Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown- 40 x 10; 50 x 10

D1) Side Plank Hold- 35s/side; 30s/side
D2) Swiss Ball Roll-Outs- x 10; x 10

Friday (12/11/09)
A1) Barbell Front Squat- 75 x 10; 85 x 10
A2) Lat Pulldowns- 100 x 10; 100 x 10

B1) Reverse Lunges- +10 lbs db x 10/side; +10 lbs db x 10/side; +12 lbs db x 10/side
B2) Underhand Inverted Row- bw at 6th hole x 10; bw at 6th hole x 10; bw at 6th hole x 10

C1) Cable Pull-Through- 110 x 10; 110 x 10; 120 x 10
C2)Incline Neutral Grip Db Press- 45 lbs db x 10; 45 lbs db x 10; 50 lbs db x 10

D1) Plank Hold- 50s; 50s
D2) LYTP Shoulder Circuit- x 10; x 10

Saturday (12/12/09)
1. 6 rounds of backward sled drag runs up slight incline with 60 lbs for 40 meters; forward sled walks during "rests"

2. 4 rounds of 60s/90s on rowing machine

That's it for this week.

-Niket

A three week "detox" diet

2009-12-07T00:48:00.002-05:00

In the hopes of improving my digestive health, mental clarity and other attributes, yesterday I began a 3 week detox diet. My meals consist primarily of the indian dish, kitcheri, whose main ingredients are mung dahl, basmati rice, and ghee. My training is going to be focussed on fat-loss until February 25th, by which time my nervous system issues will hopefully be resolved. I will post my training log on here weekly for the next couple weeks.

Keep Chuggin',
Niket

A pretty good finish, despite a late start

2009-11-25T21:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday night (well actually today morning) I went to bed at 3:30 a.m. having studied for and taken two online quizzes. Another culprit for my staying up late was my investigation of my future academic direction. I ended up waking up only at 2 p.m. today (of course missing my noon class). Today's diet involved four meals instead of the usual five-

Diet:
1. Shake w/ 2 scoops metabolic drive, 1 tbsp almond butter, and a banana
2. Small Kashi-Go-Lean Bar (~170kcals and 26 carbs) and 3 chicken tacos from chipotle w/ lettuce, pepper blend and salsa
3. ~10 fl oz coconut water (~20 carbs)
4. Bacon cheeseburger without bun (2 patties) from five guys w/ green peppers and onions
5. 3 eggs w/ 3 cups of spinach and shredded cheese blend

Today's training involved the stationary/seated and movement workouts from the effective ball handling program. Everything was, however, abbreviated, as I will still sore from training yesterday (inspite of taking an epsom salt bath immediately before heading to the gym).

Training:
Stationary/Seated
1. Ball slaps- 1x25
2. Ball grippers-1x 25
3. Fingertip control-1x25
4. Up-down circles (R/L)- 1x10
5. Right Leg circles (R/L)-1x10
6. Left Leg circles (R/L)-1x10
7. Figure 8 dribble (front/back)-2x8
8. Hi-Lo Pounds (2x5/side)
9. Btwn Legs Crossover (front/back)-2x15
10. Btwn legs-behind back-2x15
11. Btwn both legs-2x15
12. 1-hand crossover (R/L)-1x10
13. Low Speed dribble (R/L)-3x10 sec
14. Seated Crossover-2x20
15. Seated Btwn legs in-out (R/L)-2x20
16. Seated in-out crossover- 2x20
17. Seated btwn legs-crossover- 2x20
18. Seated low speed dribble- 2x20

Movement
Full court linear @ 50% (1x2 each)
-RH, -LH, -Alternating
Full court @ "Top" Speed (1x2 each)
-RH, -LH,-Alternating
Full court Zig-Zags @ 50% (1x2 each)
-crossover,-btwn legs,-behind back, -spin
Full court Zip Zags @ "Top" Speed (1x2 each)
-crossover,-btwn legs,-behind back

Remarks:
I cut the volume wayyy down, especially on the submaximal full-court work. Also, the top speed was more like 70% of my top speed. I'm erring on the safe side until my tissue tolerance to loading improves. Tomorrow is going to consist of quite a bit of rolling and stretching. I'll also make a schedule for tomorrow and see how I'm able to adhere to it.

Remarks continued:
I ran out of adaptocrine...gotta get some more of that...I still need to make an appointment with my naturopathic physician...gotta get on that...

Keep Chuggin',
Niket

A tiring day

2009-11-25T00:07:00.003-05:00

Last night I only managed to sleep 3 hours due to having stayed up late to work on two probem sets. I woke up at 8:30 a.m. and ended up napping between 5 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. I did, however, manage to eat five meals.

Diet-
1. Shake w/ banana, 1 tbsp almond butter, 2 scoops metabolic drive
2. Salad with 3 cups spinach, 4 whole eggs, 1 slice crumbled ezekiel bread and italian dressing (unmeasured)
3. Salad with 2 servings sliced chicken breast, and extra virgin olive oil (unmeasured)
4. 4 whole eggs, 4 strips bacon, and 1 tbsp almond butter
5. Naked-brand probiotic "smoothie" (during training, ~43 carbs and 160 kcals.
6. 2 servings of blueberry greek yogurt and 1 scoop metabolic drive.

Training-
Today's training session did not go as anticipated. I had originally planned to do the following lower-body strength/full-body metabolic hybrid workout:

A) 5x5/side bulgarian split squats
B1)3x10 overhand inverted row
B2)3x10 cable pullthroughs
C)3x10 1/4 squat-to-press
D1)3x10 chest-supported rows
D2)3x10/side side lunges
E) 2 sets of front plank holds x 45 sec
However, after 2 sets of bulgarian split squats, my hamstrings were FRIED...possibly due to having hit my posterior chain on Monday and not allowing myself enough time to recover...I ended up substituting the last 3 sets of bulgarian splits squats with 3 sets of 12 bodyweight squats to a bench (yeah I know I'm pathetic); I then dropped the posterior chain-dominant pull-throughs in favor of the more quad dominant front lunges; finally, I dropped the side lunges in favor of the less soreness-inducing low box step-ups, as my adductors were EXTREMELY tight even after ample foam rolling and stretching. The session ended up looking like this:

A) Bulgarian Split Squats-22.5x5/side; 25x5/side; Bodyweight squats to a box- (x 12)x 3
B1) Overhand Inverted Row- (5th hole x 10)x 3
B2) Bodyweight front lunges- (x 10) x3
C) 1/4 Squat to press- 22.5x10; 27.5x10; 27.5x 10
D1) Chest-Supported Rows- 37.5x10; 45x10; 45x10
D2) Bodyweight step-ups to bench- (x 10/side)x 3
E) Front Planck-holds- (45 sec) x2

I'm still quite sore...I think I'm gonna head to the local health food store and pick up some epsom salt and take an epsom salt bath tomorrow mid-morning. I plan to do both a stationary/seated ball-handling workout and a speed/movement ball-handling workout tomorrow.

Keep Chuggin',
Niket

Training and diet for 11-22

2009-11-23T17:21:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was not a terribly productive day, academically-speaking. I had gotten 8 hours of sleep the night before, but still ended up napping from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. My diet, however, was clean-
1. 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, peppers, onions, 1 cup old-fashioned oats

2. 3 chicken tacos from chipotle

3. 2 servings of trader joe's blueberry greek yogurt, 2 tbsps peanut butter

4. (during training) starbucks "coffee+energy" drink (~220 kcals, 28 carbs, 14 protein)

5. 2 scoops metabolic drive; 2 servings of sauteed eggplant and zucchini

Yesterday, I experimented with the following easy hybrid upper-body strength/full-body metabolic routine (the lower-body component entirely focussed on the posterior chain):
1. 5 sets of 5 Db floor presses (55x5; 60x5; 65x5; 65x5; 60x5)

2. 3 supersets of 12 inverted rows w/ 12 Db RDL's (6th hole x12/50x12; 5th hole x 8/50x12; 5th hole x 8/50x12)

3. 3 supersets of 10 split stance face pulls w/ external rotation w/ 10 SHELCS (40x10/x10; 40x10/ x 10; 40x10/ x10)

4. 2 supersets of 10 LYT's w/ 35 sec side planck hold/side (x10/ 35 sec; x10/ 35 sec; x10/ 35 sec)

5. 2 sets of 15 band pull-aparts

I ended up studying until 2:30 am, and then not being able to fall asleep until 8 am...missed my noon class as usual, and woke up at 2:30 p.m.....wonderful

Try to not lose heart and keep chuggin',
Niket

Today

2009-11-11T22:34:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't really adhere to any sort of plan while eating today...I wanted to see how I felt if I increased my calorie intake substantially and dropped my meal frequency. It did not really improve my energy levels or mood. Here's what I ate:

1. bagel with 3 whole eggs, 1 slice cheddar cheese
2. 1 personal-sized freschetta pizza with a starbucks-brand coffee/energy drink
3. 2 string cheeses and 1 nonfat greek yogurt
4. 6 inch steak and cheese sub from subway

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I did not train today.

Keep Chuggin',
Niket

training and diet for 11-10

2009-11-11T09:32:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was exhausting. I don't recall how much I slept the night before last, but can certainly say that it wasn't sufficient. My training yesterday involved both the seated/stationary portions of the effective ball handling program, and upper body lifting. I list the specifications of only my lifting routine below:

A) Neutral Grip Db Floor Press-55x5; 55x5; 60x5; 60x5; 55x5

B1)Pushups on 20 lb. Dumbbell-bw x 6; bw x5; bw x 5
B2)Chinups- bw x 4; bw x 2; bw x 3

C1)Overhand Inverted Row- bw x 10 on 6th pin; bw x 6 on 5th pin; bw x 7 on 5th pin
C2) LYTP circuit without the P- 3 sets of 10

Comments: My strength levels are atrocious. At Defranco's this summer, I hit an easy 75x5 on the neutral grip dumbbell floor press. Just 6 weeks ago I got 12 chinups; however, that was when I was fresh, and it wasn't part of a superset.

Diet-
1. Shake w/ 2 cups strawberries and 2 scoops metabolic drive, 1 cup coffee
2. Trader Joe's grilled chicken strips on 2 slices of ezekiel bread and in a low-carb tortilla; 1 blueberry nonfat greek yogurt
3. Burger patty w/ broccoli stirfry, 1 cup coffee
4. (during training) low calorie gatorade, banana, 16 oz
decaf coffee
5. 3 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, 4 strips bacon, 2 string cheeses, 1 low carb tortilla w/ 1/2 cup pasta sauce and 1 tbsp of shredded cheese blend

Even though this "diet" is by no means restrictive, I still feel terribly exhausted throughout the day. It could be because I'm not taking my supplements as of now. Today I'm going to drop the original plan of going through the movement/speed phase of the effective ball handling program, as I have bad shin splints and some right patellar tendinosis. I'm also going to deliberately consume more calories (and carbs) today and see how I feel (this should also work well because I have an insane amount of academic work to do). It's quite bad that I feel overwhelmed even after having dropped 3 out of my 4 classes....

Keep Chuggin',
Niket

Yesterday

2009-11-10T11:42:00.003-05:00

I ended up training in the morning yesterday...went through stationary, seated and speed/mvmt portions of the effective ball handling problem...exhausting to say the least...my right patellar tendon was hurting a bit toward the end of the speed portion...the workout itself is too long and complicated to list here...

Diet-
1. shake w/ banana, 2 scoops metabolic drive; 1 cup coffee
2. 2 greek yogurts, 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter
3. combo platter at panda express w/ 2 kung pao chicken's and mixed veggies (primarily broccoli); 1 cup coffee
4. 3 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, slice of cheddar cheese, 4 strips bacon, peppers, salsa
5. 4 strips bacon and 1 burger patty

The idea was to have most of my carbs toward the beginning of my day and most of my fat toward the end.

Sleep- slept well, for 7 hours.

Fatigue- was exhausted the majority of the day

Recap from Yesterday and Today

2009-11-09T00:50:00.003-05:00

The night before yesterday, I didn't sleep too well...it took me an insanely long time to fall asleep; additionally I ended up waking up quite late (around 1 pm); yesterday did not involve any training...didn't take any additional supplements besides fish oil

diet:
1. shake w/ banana, 2 scoops metabolic drive, 1 tbsp almond butter, 2 cups coffee
2. 3 chicken hard shell tacos from chipotle
3. garden veggie omelet from ihop w/ side of steamed broccoli
4. 2 string cheeses, 1 lo-carb tortilla with 1 tbsp of shredded beef

Today-
I slept late last night and woke up late again today (around 1 pm, once again). I trained at around 6pm, and did the stationary and seated workouts of the beginner phase of Alex Maroko's effective ball handling problem.

Diet-
1. Shake w/ banana, 2 scoops metabolic drive, 1 tbsp almond butter, 2 cups coffee
2. 2 Lo-carb tortillas w/ chicken and marinated eggplant
3. 3 chicken hard shell tacos from chipotle
4. 4 strips bacon, 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 slice ezekiel bread, spinach

Finally recording again

2009-11-06T23:14:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't written anything in a LONG time, but I'm going to commit to writing every single day. I'm starting an experiment of sorts- while adjusting my medication to deal with adrenal fatigue, I'm trying to see how much academic demands I can withstand, while training and eating to support my training. My training, at the moment, is primarily to improve body composition and work capacity (until my nervous system issues are at bay, when I can resume more performance-oriented training). Henceforth, I'll discuss my sleep, my training, my diet and highlights of my daily schedule and how my perceived fatigue and overall sense of well-being fluctuates.

Sleep- After talking to my girlfriend last night, I attempted to sleep at around 1 am This, however, was unsuccessful. I laid in bed until around 2:45 am, when I studied for around 2.5 hours. I then laid in bed until 6:30 am.

Training- (9:45-10:45pm)-
3 "complexes":
1. (Db RDL-50's x 10/side; bodyweight chinups x 5) x3
2. (Plate-Loaded Front Squat w/ 45x10; overhand inverted row w/ bodyweight x 8 on 6th hole at eppley)x3
3. (24-inch box step-ups x 10/side; seated alternating overhead dumbbell press w/ palms forward) x 2

I felt extremely weak and exhausted while training.

Diet-
1. 7 am-shake w/ 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 banana, 2 scoops metabolic drive
2. 10 am- 2 packets of cashews
3. 11:30 am- combo platter at panda express w/ kung pao chicken (x2) and mixed veggies
4. 8:30 pm- 2 low-carb tortillas w/ carne asada steak, salsa, grilled peppers/onions, and 1 string cheese

During Workout-low calorie gatorade

Highlights of day- huge break between 3rd and 4th meals because of a bigass nap I took after my linear algebra lecture...didn't take supplements b/c they made me feel weird and exhausted the first few days that I took them...I'm waiting to hear back from my doc.

Keep Chuggin',
Niket

Slowly coming back

2009-10-08T02:09:00.004-04:00

My slow transition from illness to fitness will probably involve a good deal of experimentation and "letting myself off the hook." I didn't train, but played a little one-on-one basketball with a friend. This reminded me how out of shape I am. My diet, however, was moderately decent today-
1. Shake w/ 2 scoops Metabolic drive powder, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, banana
2. Trader Joe's marinated chicken, 2 lo-carb tortillas, some sauteed eggplant and some sauteed zucchini

3. Hamburger from Five guys

4. 3 whole eggs on 2 slices sprouted grain ezekiel bread w/ salsa

5. Shake w/ 2 scoops metabolic drive powder, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter

...note to self: gotta pick up some bubba burgers or steakburgers sometime soon!

...could improve veggie intake, but not an awful day...

I'm interested in getting my handles back...thinking of trying out Alex Maroko's "Effective Ball-Handling Program."

As far as what specifically to do with training...gonna have to wait on that...

Keep Chuggin,
Niket

Getting Back On Track

2009-10-06T22:09:00.003-04:00

I know that it's been several weeks since I've posted. I've been quite sick...neural fatigue, severe diarrhea, constant headaches, etc. My diet has suffered and my training has been non-existent. I went to the emergency room twice in the past two weeks, got my blood drawn five times, and spent at least 20 hours with doctors. Fortunately, of the many appointments that I attended, a couple have proven to be useful. I was able to get in touch with a renowned naturopathic physician in the area. He looked over my bloodwork and I met with him last Friday. It turns out that my cortisol levels are really low (as stated in the first post), my blood glucose levels fluctuate wildly throughout the day, my magnesium levels are low, and levels of HDL cholesterol are low. As a result, I'm going to have to alter my training. I didn't train today, but have begun my transition from illness and periods of starvation alternated with periods of gluttony. As I have a ton of schoolwork to catch up on, I'm holding off on training until I'm (more) caught up. I'm, meanwhile, however attempting to tighten up my diet. For now, we'll call tightening up as eating every 2-3 hours and having protein at every meal.

Today at-a-glace:
1. oats w/ protein powder
2. 380 kcals worth of cashews
3. burger from five guys
4. chicken on ezekiel bread

Remarks-
yeah, pretty bad, I'm aware...but it's a step in the right direction

'Till next time,
Niket

Revised training plan for week

2009-09-15T16:40:00.005-04:00

After putting much thought into revising my training plan for the week, I've come up with what I feel sounds reasonable. Hopefully, I'll be able to make strength and body composition gains on this basic template for a few weeks to come (albeit with some adjustment each week). Without further ado, here is the plan:

"General layout-
1 full-body, 1 upper body workout, and 1 lower body workout

Monday-Lower Body workout (“Max Effort”)
A) Work up to 3RM on the Box squat
B) Bulgarian Split Squats (3x8)
C) Posterior Chain Recruitment (Glute-Ham Raise, Pull Through, Supine hip extension with leg curl (SHELC), or Single-leg RDL) (3x8)
Scheme-traditional with unspecified rest

Saturday-Upper Body workout (“Max Effort”)
A) Work up to 3RM on Barbell bench press
B) Pushups on a dumbbell (3 sets to 1 rep shy of failure)
C) Rows (Barbell bent-over rows, Chest-supported dumbbell rows, Single Arm Rows to Bench) (3x8)
D1)Iso-hold dumbbell curls (3x8)
D2)Band Pull-aparts (3x15)
Scheme-traditional with unspecified rest except for D1/D2 which are to be performed as a superset with 1 minute rest between superset

Thursday-Full-Body Workout
A) 3 sets of chinups to failure w/ complete recovery between sets

B1)Terminal Knee extensions (3x15/side)
B2)Peterson Step-ups (3x15/side)

C1)Face Pulls w/ external rotation (3x10-15)
C2)Reverse Lunges w/ front foot elevated (3x10-15)

D1)LYTP (2x10)
D2)Reverse Hypers (2x10)
Scheme-A, rest 2 minutes, (B1,B2, rest 90 s)x3, (C1,C2, rest 90 s)x3, (D1,D2, rest 90s)x2
GPP/core (Sunday, Wednesday)*
A) Hold Front Plank (2 sets of 60-90 s)
B) Hold Side Plank (2 sets of 30-45/side)
C) Pallof Press Holds (2 sets of 30s/side)
D) Chin Tucks (2 sets of 15)2
E) (2)Band External Rotations (2 sets of 15-20)
F) (2)Band Tricep Pushdowns (2 sets of 15-20)2
G) (1)Backwards Tire-sled drag (2 sets of 50 m)
H) (1)TKE’s (2 sets of 15/side)

*Exercises with '(1)' next to their name are to be performed on Wednesday only and those with a '(2)' next to their name are to be performed are Sunday only. "

Notice that I've kept the "max-effort" body part sessions unchanged. However, I've significantly reduced the volume of metabolic work and dropped any sort of "finisher" movement that I had in place previously. I've also added two GPP days. Also notice that I DO NOT perform upper body GPP exercises the day before an upper body max effort session and that I DO NOT perform lower body GPP exercises the day before a lower body pax effort session, as indicated by the astrisk and corresponding numbers. Also notice that the full body session almost exclusively targets the posterior chain and largely involves pulling movements. This is counter the exercises that target the anterior chain performed during the two max-effort body part sessions and to maintain a slight imbalance between pushing and pulling (in favor of pulling).

Anyway, as I'm typing this post, my lumbar spine is rounding heavily and I'm going into extreme cervical extension, so I better get off this computer before I further destroy my already awful posture.

Keep Chuggin',

Niket

PS-Notice how all of the core work I have listed is to RESIST rotation (plank variations and pallof press holds). After spending 7 weeks doing ground-based abdominal work at DeFranco's involving v-sits, mountain climbers, and crunches, my back is not feeling to happy....

First Attempt at New Program

2009-09-14T23:59:00.003-04:00

Having spent several hours attempting to come up with a new exercise program that would increase my absolute and relative strength, help me drop some fat, and address some pain issues, I thought I had succeeded in my endeavor. This was until I actually finished one of the workouts. The following is the program I wrote up.

"General layout-
2 full-body workouts, 1 upper body workout, and 1 lower body workout

Full-body workout 1 (“Metabolic”)
A1)Plate-loaded front squats (3x10)
A2)Bodyweight Chinups (3x8)
Scheme-A1, no rest, A2, rest 1 minute, A1, etc.
B1)Underhand Inverted Rows (2x10)
B2)Step ups on to 24’’ box or higher (2x10/side)
B3)Pronated-Grip Straight arm pull-down (2x10/side)
Scheme-B1,B2, B3, rest 1 minute, B1, etc.
C1) Peterson Step-ups (3x10)
C2)Reverse Lunges w/ Front Foot elevated (3x10)
C3)Incline neutral grip dumbbell press (3x10)
Scheme-C1,C2,C3, rest 1 minute, C1, etc.

Tabata-10 sets of 15 seconds on and 15 seconds off (either kettlebell swings, bike or elliptical)

Lower Body workout (“Max Effort”)
A) Work up to 3RM on the Box squat
B) Bulgarian Split Squats (3x8)
C) Posterior Chain Recruitment (Glute-Ham Raise, Pull Through, Supine hip extension with leg curl (SHELC), or Single-leg RDL) (3x8)
Scheme-traditional with unspecified rest
Upper Body workout (“Max Effort”)
A) Work up to 3RM on Barbell bench press
B) Pushups on a dumbbell (3 sets to 1 rep shy of failure)
C) Rows (Barbell bent-over rows, Chest-supported dumbbell rows, Single Arm Rows to Bench) (3x8)
D1)Iso-hold dumbbell curls (3x8)
D2)Band Pull-aparts (3x15)
Scheme-traditional with unspecified rest except for D1/D2 which are to be performed as a superset with 1 minute rest between superset

Full-Body workout 2
A1)Dumbbell Neutral Grip Push press (3x10)
A2)One-Arm split stance cable row (3x10/side)

B1)Bodyweight Side Lunges (3x10/side)
B2)Face Pulls with external rotation (3x10) (use split stance and alternate leading leg)

C1)Terminal Knee Extensions (3x15/side)
C2)Peterson Step-Ups (3x15/side)

'Finisher' outside with either a backwards sled drag and forward sleg drag or 6 sets of prowler pushes or tabata on a bike elliptical or with kettlebell swings"

I had purposely left out the warm-up and core stability work when writing it so I can decide what to do depending on how I feel on any given day. After finishing the lower body "max effort" session, I felt a bit too fatigued. I am currently dealing with adrenal fatigue and have low cortisol levels (as well as low dopamine and seratonin levels). To make matters worse, I'm on three anti-depressants that have the potential to "play with" my perception of hunger and/or fatigue. I felt very light-headed during my 2nd set of bulgarian split squats...so I'm not sure what that's telling me...in any event, I'm going to "play it conservative" and come up with a program with significantly less metabolic work and slightly more corrective exercise and mobility work. I do not want to change anything about the two "max-effort" days yet; this is because I've hardly ever been able to train for strength over the past 5 years and I'd like to be able to do so now...however, given my issues with neural fatigue, even with strength work I dance on the fine line between progression and "over-training" (I'm not sure that I'm using the term overtraining appropriately here, but I'm certain what I'm trying to convey is not conveyed by the term "overreaching"). In any event, the next blog post shall contain an amended program.

Adaptably yours,

Niket

New Program: Fat Loss and Strength Gain at the Same Time?

2009-09-14T01:34:00.003-04:00

Here I am sitting up at 1:40 in the morning trying to write a new training program for myself. I've found that the "Westside for Skinny Bastards" program that I followed while training at DeFranco's Gym in New Jersey, may be too difficult to implement at the Maryland Campus Recreation Center. Instead of the traditional max-effort upper/lower, repetition upper and dynamic-effort lower days, I've opted to perform two full-body workouts along with a "max-effort" upper body session and a "max-effort" lower body session. I haven't put much thought into the details; I, however, do know that the two full body sessions will each involve 3-4 circuits each containing 2 exercises. The rest shall be determined tomorrow.

'Till Next Time,

Niket

A Rough (and unplanned) day

2009-09-12T23:26:00.003-04:00

A saying goes, "To fail to plan is to plan to fail." Let me rephrase the saying as:

"To fail to plan sufficiently in advance is to plan to fail." My experiences today were a manifestation of this. I woke up late at 1 pm. I am on sleep medication, as I'm unable to sleep properly unaided; frequently I'm unable to wake up at the planned time on days that I take the medication (as going without taking it typically results in my being unable to sleep). I ate my first meal (Shake w/ 2 scoops metabolic drive protein powder, 1 banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter) at 2 pm. I had in mind for today to be a "max-effort lower body session" wherein I would squat and perform other accessory lifts. However, I'm rarely neurally aroused upon awakening, even after consuming caffeine or one of those "5 hour energy" shots. I decided to practice some piano, as I've determined doing so "awakens" my nervous system and as any power athlete should know, a highly excitable nervous system can be the secret ingredient to a very productive training session-particularly during a session consisting of heavy lower body work or any sort of reactive work. However, I did not realize that there would be a home football game today. At a large state university like Maryland, the football game crowds assemble well in advance of the game to tailgate and the traffic situation is significantly complicated. I ended up spending half an hour searching for parking near the performing arts building, and finally got a spot in a garage about half a mile from the building. After walking to the performing arts building past many drunk fans throwing tailgate parties, I had to try several entrances before I could find out in which my ID worked (as I'm not a music major, my access to the building is limited). After practicing for an hour-and-a-half in a classroom whose door was unlocked when I entered, I got up to go to the bathroom, leaving my belongings in the classroom in which I was practicing- little did I know that the classroom would lock when I left it. I asked several students wandering the halls if they knew the combination to get in, but those whom I asked said that they did not. I then proceeded to call the police department and told them I was locked out; after some dialog and about 45 minutes of waiting, the police arrived and opened the room. I was able to retrieve my belongins. Unfortunately, it was now time for my next meal; I had originally planned to train immediately following my session practicing the piano, as the purpose of practicing the piano was to excite my nervous system. After walking the half mile to my car, it took about half an hour to drive to my apartment (which is adjacent to campus) due to football game-related traffic.

While waiting for the cops to arrive, I had decided to eat my a burger patty and a broccoli stir-fry upon arriving home. After reaching home, I realized that I did not have the dish to cover the pan while I cooked the broccoli (this is necessary to prevent the fire alarm from going off, as the range does not have an exhaust fan). After spending another half hour in a state of stress, I made a half cup of oats in water and had another shake consisting of 2 scoops of metabolic drive protein powder and 1 tbsp peanut butter. By this time, I was craving a lot of junk food. In order to not give in to my cravings, I engaged in conversation with my roommate for the next 2 hours. I then realized that I should eat another meal and then go train. I decided that for convenience I'd eat a bacon burger from five guys and go to CVS to get some gatorade, which I'd dilute in water (since I'd forgotten my peri-workout carbohydrate drink). By the time I bought this and navigated post-game celebration traffic (yes, Maryland football did in fact beat James Madison on this fine day) and reached the campus recreation center, it was closed. After spending a few minutes sitting in despair, I decided that the moral of the story is "TO FAIL TO PLAN SUFFICIENTLY IN ADVANCE IS TO PLAN TO FAIL!" Anyway, I'll keep today's blunders in mind while sitting down to make plans. However, I will NOT allow today's "screw-up" to lend itself to a week's worth of screw-ups!

Keep Chuggin',

Niket

Scientifically-sound and Accessible Fitness and Performance Training Resources

2009-09-12T01:17:00.006-04:00

Often the phrase "scientifically-sound" and the word "accessible" cannot be used in the same sentence. However, I've found the following general fitness and performance training resources to embody both qualities:

1. www.higher-faster-sports.com

This is certainly my favorite sports performance-related website. Kelly Baggett does a fantastic job explaining much of the theory behind improvements in an athlete's top speed, vertical jump, acceleration and body composition (among other qualities) accessible to the lay reader

2. www.precisionnutrition.com/

This nutrition supersite run by author of the book Scrawny to Brawny, John Berardi, has an extensive list of articles and a nutritional "philosophy" that has worked well for many.

3. www.ericcressey.com

This corrective exercise-focused supersite of Eric Cresssey's has lots of content related to everything from performance training to corrective exercise to diet. Eric's expertise is especially applicable to baseball players.

4. www.defrancostraining.com

This is the website of Joe DeFranco, the creator of the "Westside for Skinny Bastards Program" (though the bastards following it can be fat too). His training facility in Northern New Jersey has a fantastic atmosphere assured to draw any serious athlete. Defranco's expertise is especially of merit to football players looking to improve their performance in combines.

5. http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/

California-based trainer, Alwyn Cosgrove, is a highly knowledgeable specialist in the area of fat-loss.

There are many more training-related website that I frequent; however, I feel that these five deserve a special mention to those beginning serious pursuit towards any athletic endeavor.

Keep Chuggin',

Niket

An unlikely athlete

2009-09-12T00:40:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

My name is Niket Ram and I'm a junior at the University of Maryland majoring in math. The purpose of this blog is to detail my quest toward dunking a basketball. The quest began when I tore my ACL during a basketball practice in January of 2005. Two surgeries and numerous health problems later, I'm still going at it.

Athleticism is not something that ever came easily to me, nor has it been something that has been easy for me to acquire, even with the aid of some of the best performance coaches in the world. Numerous health problems have stood in the way of my obtaining the strength levels, body composition and movement efficacy prerequisite for being a competitive power athlete. Some of these problems include (but are not limited to) two knee surgeries, vitamin D deficiency, persistent boils, constipation, recurring staph infections, low testosterone levels, low cortisol levels, low dopamine levels and low seratonin levels. Nevertheless, I choose not to relinquish pursuit of this goal. I also have other interests and/or commitments that make pursuit of elite athleticism not necessarily convenient. In any event, I shall outline my journey that hopefully culminates in a slam dunk and hope to inspire anyone that thinks obstacles may be preventing himself or herself from performing a feat or accomplishing a goal that he or she strongly desires.

Keep Chuggin',
Niket