Fuzzy's Tacos, Road Bike, Swimming Lessons, etc

About once a week, I try to get out and do my best to eat well at different dining establishments around town. It helps me better help our clients. I previously would rely on a local dining guide to steer clients in the right direction...but they don't always give the advise I would give in all situations.

Fuzzy Tacos?

I tried Fuzzy's Taco Shop yesterday just down the street from our house...man it was good. I tried to find specific caloric info on their website, but couldn't find anything. The calories seemed very reasonable to me...very clean and grease free. I had shrimp baja tacos which consisted of corn tortilla, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, feta cheese, and grilled shrimp. 

Road Bike Update 2.0

Still trying to decide about a road bike. I'm trying to find a legit-used road bike that will be a good fit for triathl

on training this next year. I don't want to spend much money, as I'm using my allowance money (yes, I'm 31 years old and have an allowance) that I've been saving since the end of last year. Big leisure expenses, like road bikes, fall outside our family budget. I guess I could get some pegs, take clients out for a spin every now and then and call it a "business expense."  ; ) We do have three spinners here at the gym...so I may use those this summer to train on until I can save up a bit more for a nicer bike.  I haven't had much luck in the used market thus far. 

Swimming Update

We located a swimming instructor who is willing to meet with us every couple of weeks to work on swimming technique...so I'm super pumped about that. Hopefully, John, Cowboy Jeff, and myself will be able to start our swim lessons next week...stay tuned! 

Thursday Food

700a-Egg beaters, avocado, no nitrate turkey bacon, frank's red hot

830a-apple

900a-organic chocolate milk

1130a-Baja shrimp tacos (see above ingredients)

330p-Fage 0%, dried cranberries, pinch of Fuel

630p-couple of raw cashews and 2% cheese stick while waiting to eat (like most of you...I'm hungry when I get home from work)

700p-Taco pita salad from Eating for Life (crispy whole wheat pita, lean ground beef, romaine lettuce, organic salsa, yucatan guacamole, fage as sour cream)

800p-small homemade brownie (friends over...didn't want to be rude...you know?) 

1100p-Apple and couple slices of boar's head turkey

Tuesday 4/27

Didn't get much sleep Monday night...so Tuesday was challenging. I was very impressed, despite my fatigue, i didn't hit the 5 hour energy. I've learned that energy levels can have peaks and valleys within a day and sometimes we just have to ride the really tough 30, 45, or 60 min stretches out and then all will be fine. 

Tuesday Workout

Burn out pull ups 

Set #1: 12

S#2: 7

S#3: 10

S#4:10

S#5: 10

S#6: 8

Burn out Decline Kettle Bell Push Ups

S#1: 15

S#2: 20

S#3: 14

S#4: 15

S#5: 13

S#6:12

Tuesday Food

700a-Smart Balance Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread. 

900a-organic chocolate milk (post workout) and 5 energy nuggets

1230p-leftover turkey fork burgers (2) avocado, 1/2 slice of colby jack cheese, mustard, 2 cuties,  2 cups broccoli 

200p-raw cashews and apple

330p-Smoothie King Immune Builder

700p-boneless skinless chicken, green bean, mushroom casserole 

1000p-syntha 6 protein shake 

Weekend Runs, Monday Food and a Picture of Fork Burger

I get a lot of questions about my fork burger. "What's a fork burger?" Well...it's a hamburger you eat with a fork, hence the fork burger. The bun (especially at restaurants) adds a lot of calories to the meal. Thus, you take the bun out and you cut calories down.

Saturday Run

I ran the SOS Ministries 5K this weekend with some of the BCS Fitness gang. The weather was great Saturday, yet the hills got the best of me...I finished with my slowest 5K time this year...23:45 average pace was 7:42. : (

Sunday Run

Sunday Ken and I hit the road again Sunday morning for a run. We backed our miles down a bit since we both had to be back (so our wives could go have their fun) at 900a. We ran 6.56 miles in 55 min at an 8:11 pace per mile. 

Monday Food

645a-Syntha 6 Protein, Wheaties Fuel, 1% milk, Cutie

1000a-raw cashews, 2 energy nuggets, 1 2% string cheese

12:45p-leftover taco salad (romaine lettuce, cucumbers, salsa, fage greek yogurt, avocado, lean ground beef, soy and flaxseed chip crumbs)

300p-Fage 0% greek yogurt, dried cranberries, 2 cuties

645p-3 small cilantro/mushroom turkey fork burgers from our sweet neighbors the Livingstons, mustard, avocado, frank's red hot, 1/2 slice of colby jack cheese. 

945p-raw cashews and 8oz glass of Keifer Probiotic Smootie (Cherry Flavor)

Thursday 4/22

John and I had an interesting discussion today, before our workout, about aging, testosterone, and regret. One of the (many) regrets from my pubescent years was not taking fitness and nutrition more seriously. I waited until my senior year in high school to get serious about working out and hated every minute of physical conditioning prior to that year. I viewed time in the weight room or on the track as a necessary evil that I had to endure if I wanted to play football, basketball, or baseball. 

Testosterone levels are extremely high in males between the age of 14 and 18 and I missed reaping the full benefits. I hope, if they are interested, my boys take advantage of those elevated test levels and hit the track and the weights hard when the time comes. I'd be a much better athlete today had I done so. 

Now that I'm almost 2 years into my 30's...I have to deal with the reality of slowly declining testosterone level from here on out. I guess that's a reason to work even harder!

Once John and I stopped crying about getting older...we had a testosterone boosting 20 min blitz workout...

Warm Up: 135lbs barbell bench press @ 10 reps and 7.5lbs Free Motion Lateral Back Cross @ 15 reps

Set #1: Bench Press: 225lbs x 6 reps and FM LAt Cross 10lbs each side x 15reps

Set #2: Bench Press: 225lbs x 5 reps and FM Lat Cross 10lbs x 15 reps

Set #3: Bench Press: 225lbs x 5 reps and FM LAt Cross 10lbs x 15reps

Set #4: Bench Press: 215lbs x 6 reps and FM Lat Cross 10lbs x 15 reps

Set # 5: Bench Press: 205lbs x 9 reps and FM Lat Cross 12.5lbs x 15reps

Thursday Food

515a-Smart Balance Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich on whole wheat bread and 4 oz simply orange juice

900a-8 oz organic chocolate milk and handful of curry cashews (post workout)

1100a-Paleo Protein/Fruit Bar

1230p-2 cups broccoli, 2 turkey fork burgers, avocado, frank's red hot, mustard, half slice of 2% deli cheese

300p-Fage 0%, dried cranberries, red grapes

630p-Turkey Chili and Salad w/ avocado, salsa, fage, and baby tomatoes 

1000p-Boar's Head Turkey slices and Frank's red hot, 1 apple 

My weight is down a little lower than I'd like it to be (178lbs) but my body fat is down from 11.6% two weeks ago to 10.4% this week. I think I'm going to keep everything diet wise fairly constant and try to get one more weight training session in during the week. I think I'd be real happy if I fluctuated between 180lbs-184lbs and 8%-10% body fat.

Non- Stop Tuesday

What a crazy Tuesday. I was literally non-stop (with the exception of a little sit down break from 300p-315p) from 530a-630a today. I still managed okay on food despite the busyness, maybe a little low on vegetables. 

515a-Cheerios, 1% milk, sythna 6 protein (poor planning this morning...quickest thing I could find was kid's cereal and protein powder.) 

830a-apple

900a-paleo protein and fruit bar and 4 oz of organic chocolate milk

1200p-3 all natural energy nuggets (heb bulk)

100p-trainer's lunch at Cheddar's-house salad, one bite of croissant (just to irritate Linda) and grilled mango salsa tilapia. I felt sorry for our waiter...four trainers at one table with all of our "hold this, put this on the side, switch this, substitute that" must have been a challenge. 

300p-Cashews, cranberries, 3 dark chocolate covered banana chips (heb bulk treat) 2 energy nuggets 

700p-leftover Spaghetti squash and grilled chicken with avocado spread (Biggest Loser simple swaps)

930p-5 slices of boar's head turkey, frank's red hot, and 1 serving of gluten free crunchmaster crackers (15 crackers.)

Tuesday workout w/ John

10 Minute Core routine on mat w/ different core exercise every 1 min

-side plank

-cycle crunch

-butterfly sit up

-traditional sit up

-north/south scissors

-plank hold

-oblique side crunch (both sides)

-reverse crunch

-east/west scissors

Barbell squats (building from last Thursday)

-warm up set 135lbs @ 10 reps

Set #2: 225lbs @ 10reps

Set #3: 245lbs @ 10reps

set #4: 265lbs @ 10reps 

I'm in road bike hunt mode right now. I've located two gently used bikes that I'll be checking out sometime this week if time permits. Cycling seems like such an expensive hobby to get into...I just thought running was expensive. 

Whatchu talkin bout Cowboy Jeff?

So I get this text from Cowboy Jeff yesterday titled, "maybe...?" What was it about you ask? Oh, just a 70.3 Ironman (half ironman-1.2 mile swim, 13.1 run, and the rest on the bike) going down in Galveston in a week or so. I think CJ is getting a little over confident after his 3rd place bike finish at the Dansby. Never the less...I'm tempted. I could handle the bike and the run...the swim is pretty darn scary for me. 

So, I spent the better part of Sunday night trying to figure out if I should consider a half ironman in the next year. I then calculated how many laps in our pool I'd have to swim to finish 1.2 miles...the answer...212 or 106 "there and back" laps. The conclusion, I'd need to get some serious swimming lessons unless I can wear one of the boys Spiderman arm floaties during the race. 

Sunday's Workout with Ken

11 mile bike ride indoors (heart rate around 150 bpm)

5K Run (just over 25 minutes)

10 mile bike ride indoors (heart rate around 150bpm)

5K Run (just over 25 minutes)

2000 Meter Row: 8:20 

5 mile bike ride indoors (heart around 150 bpm) 

Monday food

700a-Egg beater eggs, 2 whole wheat tortillas, guacamole, fage, 2 slices bacon

1000a-Paleo Protein Bar

1200p-Smoothie King High Protein Mocha Shake

145p-Leftover Baked Ziti (Biggest Loser Simple Swaps Recipe) apple

400p-Cashews, Strawberries

700p-Baked Mesquite Chicken and Broccoli 

100p-8 oz skim milk and 1 gala apple.

These Legs Better Be Ready...

 I had a brief workout today and then I have workouts planned for Friday and Sunday. Today John and I did barbell squats and offered each other corrective criticism after each set (John calls it "nipping at the fringes.") We went a bit lighter and really worked on perfecting the back squat depth and technique. We sacrificed load for increased depth and strict torso position.

Set 1: 135lbs x 10 reps

Set 2: 155lbs x 10 reps

set 3: 185lbs x 10 reps

set 4: 205lbs x 10 reps

Set 5: 225lbs x 10 reps

set 6: 245lbs x 10 reps

Tomorrow, I'm going to try to talk John into some spinner tabata sets. I'm also slated to do some upper body pyramid sets tomorrow as well followed by a 9-10 mile run with Ken on Sunday.

Thursday Food

500a-Wheaties Fuel, Syntha 6, 1% milk.

830a-gala apple (pre-workout)

915a-Paleo Protein bar (post workout)

1200p-was invited to Fuddrucker's for lunch with a friend. I was surprised at how well you could eat at Fudd's. They have buffalo burgers, salmon, chicken, ostrich meat, salads, etc. I had a buffalo meat burger (extra lean beef, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, tabasco, guacamole) and a few of my buddies potato wedges. I trashed about half the bun in order to cut the grains down. 

300p-Fage 0%, cranberries, paleo protein bar, 2 cuties

700p-Kara and I met up with some friends at The Village in Bryan for the Agape Art Show. Great food, very easy to eat well at The Village. I had a grilled chicken panini with a house salad. 

1000p-Turkey with frank's red hot and gala apple. 

Wednesday 4/14

I've finally got the Monday fast behind me and feel like my normal self again. I was able to eat as usual yesterday...

605a-egg beater scrambled, avocado, salsa, 3 turkey sausage links (all prepared ahead of time.) 

900a-gala apple

1100a-leftover vegetable-no pasta lasagna (2-3 servings of veggies)

200p-Paleo Protein Bar and 8 oz organic chocolate milk

500p-2 cuties

645p-Taco salad (lean ground beef, romaine lettuce, pinch of shredded low fat cheese, salsa, 1 tbsp guacamole, 1 tbsp fage 0%, and 1 cutie

930p-2 gala apples

I'm most excited about having zero grains today. I feel so much better, and get to eat so much more other food, when I cut the grains out. Grains are so calorically dense that I'm forced to cut back on other foods to compensate. I'd much rather have a little extra protein (lean ground beef fage,  turkey sausage.) 

Wednesday is my rest day...so no workout news to report. John and I have a lower body workout schedule today, so I'll update tomorrow. 

8 Hours of Pure Misery

Monday I had to give blood and urine samples for life insurance policy purposes and had to fast from 700a-300p . I can't tell you the last time I went 8 hours without food (except while sleeping of course.) In short, it was hell. 

As soon as I provided the insurance companies with everything they needed, I raced to the kitchen. Here is what I ate...boy was I hungry...

300p-2 sandwiches on whole wheat sandwich rounds, Yucatan guacamole, boar's head turkey, romaine lettuce, hot sauce, cashews (about 2 servings worth) and leftover Sun-Chips (1 serving) from our daughters weekend birthday party. I can usually control myself and stay away from chips...but my sodium levels must have been off due to the fast because I was craving salty foods.

I was still hungry so I then headed back for the curry cashews about 300p.

700p-Vegetable- No Pasta Lasagna (Biggest Loser Simple Swaps Book)

1000p-Fage 0%, cranberries, sprinkled with Wheaties 

I still struggled with unusual cravings on Tuesday but think I'm back on track today. I didn't eat poorly...I just had larger servings of the foods I usually eat and never really felt satisfied.  It is amazing how skipping my morning snack and lunch impacted me not only on Monday but on Tuesday as well.  I'm thrilled to be back to my eating schedule of meals/snacks in smaller portions every 3-4 hours. 

Workout Tuesday 

Trainer John and I got a little workout in Tuesday morning...

6 sets of 5 reps of barbell shoulder press (105lbs-155lbs)

5 sets of shoulder shrug calf raise with dead lift bar for 25 reps each @ 135lbs

2 sets of burnout handstand push ups (8 and 10)

2 sets of 50 butterfly sit ups on Abmat

I'm really excited about our Thursday workouts...it's SQUAT day! I love Squats! 

 

Dansby Duo Highlights and Brutal Sunday Workout

We all had a great time Saturday at the Dansby Duo. Cowboy Jeff and I finished just under 1 hour and 30 min on our 5K-12 mile bike-5k. I was really proud of all the BCS Fitness clients that came out and raced (especially Rina and Kelly who got 1st place in the women's relay...way to go!)

Cowboy Jeff and I really enjoyed and are determined to beat our time next year.

Sunday, Ken and I did what i can only refer to as the "quadruple threat" workout. It went like this...

1/2 mile run at 7 mph pace

1/2 mile run at 9 mph pace

1/2 mile run at 7 mph pace

1/2 mile run at 9 mph pace

1/2 mile run at 7 mph pace

2000 meter row (8:20)

8 min Spin with heart rate at 80% of max predicted

2000 meter row (8:30)

8 min Spin with heart rate at 85% of max predicted

10 laps in the pool (was to cold to remember exactly how long it took...but it was between 15-20 min.)

I learned something Sunday...66 degrees is way to cold to be swimming laps. My lungs kept tightening up so much that I'd have to stop and get my breathing under control before resuming our swim. I'm really looking forward to our summer cardio cross training...just need the pool to heat up a bit. 

Weekend Plans and Thursday Food

This Saturday, Cowboy Jeff and I will be participating in the Dansby Duo (5K run-12 mile bike-5K run.) Since I don't own a road bike, I asked Cowboy Jeff if he' like to do the 12 mile bike and I'll run the two 5K's. 

CJ just got a sweet Jamis road bike...so it will be fun to see him break it in. This race is sort of outside the box for Jeff ...who is usually challenging me with things like "how much can you bench, squat, press, etc."   It will be a good time. 

Thursday is my busiest day of the week...so I cooked my breakfast for the next two days the night before while Kara and I were relaxing Wednesday evening. That way, I didn't feel rushed to cook a nice breakfast on my busiest day. Here's what I had...

515a-egg beater scrambled eggs, 3 turkey sausage links, 1/2 avocado, mixed with Frank's red hot

815a-gala apple pre workout

915a-Pro-aide post workout recovery shake

1200p-Tejas Blue sandwich at Blue Baker (one of the healthier options.)

300p-curry cashews, 2 cuties, organic chocolate milk (8oz)

630p-Taco Salad from Eating for Life (lean ground beef, romaine lettuce, salsa, blue corn chip crumbs, 1/2 avocado

730p-we had our small group over from church and instead of eating rice crispy treats someone brought for dessert I had 3 cutie oranges. 

1000p-1 gala apple, 1 2% string cheese, Pro-H20 Protein water

John and I did another blitz workout on Thursday. 

3 sets of max rep bench press at body weight plus max push ups immediately after the bench press.

Bench Press at 185lbs (my body weight 182lbs)

Set #1: 22

Set #2: 16

Set #3: 12

3 sets of Bicep Cable Curls on FreeMotion at 10 reps each (40lbs, 42.5lbs, 45lbs)

3 sets Tricep Cable Ext on Free Motion at 10 reps each (50lbs, 55lbs, 60lbs.) 

I've been in the process of brainstorming a master plan for our cardio room over the last few days. My goal is to give the room a bit of a makeover and replace almost all of the cardio equipment. I'm trying to decide what to get, where to get it, and when to get it. 

I'm seriously considering getting rid of the treadmill and steppers and replacing them with some completely new toys. It's risky because I know some of our clients have grown attached to them...on the other hand it would be great to have new stuff that is unfamiliar to all. I went to visit a trainer friend in town today and got to try out a new indoor bike he just got. Man, was it sweet. I'm pretty tempted to get one now...stay tuned. 

Here's what I ate...

Note: I never include what I drink because I only drink water (unless noted otherwise) and I drink an insane amount...close to 120oz everyday. I also don't include supplements, but I take fish oil capsules, osteo bi-flex (joint health), and a mulit-vitamin daily. 

530a-Syntha 6, 4 energy nuggets (HEB bulk)

900a-curry cashews, cranberries, gala apple

1200p-whole wheat sandwich round, yucatan guacamole, extra boar's head turkey, frank's red hot, romaine lettuce, 2 cutie oranges

230p-small Chocolate protein shake from Smoothie King

500p-4 energy nuggets on my way to training

700p-scrambled egg bowl, tomatoes, 3 slices turkey bacon, black grapes

100p-Later tonight...fage 0% with organic dried cranberries (HEB bulk)

Tuesday Workout w/ Trainer John

Trainer John and I got in a blitz workout in this morning just before the 900a group started up. Here is what we did...

Max Sets of 10 Reps in 25 min

185lbs Deadlift

95lbs Thruster

70lbs Cable Crossover

30lbs Weighted Sit Up w/ AbMat

100lbs T Bar Row

Rd 2 (weight stays same)

185lbs Deadlift

95lbs Thruster

70lbs Cable Crossover

30lbs Weighted Sit Up w/ AbMat

100lbs T Bar Row

Rd 3 (weight goes up)

205lbs Deadlift

105lbs Thruster

80lbs Cable Crossover

35lbs Weighted Sit Up w/ AbMat

110lbs T Bar Row

Rd 4 (weight stays)

205lbs Deadlift

105lbs Thruster

80lbs Cable Crossover

35lbs Weighted Sit Up w/ AbMat

110lbs T Bar Row

Food Thus Far...

530a-wheaties fuel, syntha 6 protein, 1% skim milk

830a-gala apple

900a-Pro-Aide Post Workout Shake

1200p-Turkey Fork Burger (2), 2 cups broccoli, avocado, mustard, frank's red hot, 1/2 slice of colby jack cheese

Later Today...

300pish-Turkey Guacamole rolls w/ frank's, 2 cuties

630p- Not sure what my wife is cooking...I'm sure it will be great.

1000pish-Fage 0% and cranberries

Three Meals Out in Three Days.

About two weeks ago I ran 8 miles and it was about 60 degrees outside.  I kept around an 8:30 per mile pace. Yesterday it was about 80 degrees and I ran 7 miles...I struggled to keep an average pace of 8:52 per mile, my heart rate was well over 170 per minute the entire time. Crazy right? It's either the humidity or all the grease pumping through my body after three weekend trips to restaurants.  

We went on a little adventure this weekend from Friday to Sunday to see my family in the DFW area. We ate out three times over the weekend (Whataburger, Mi Cocina-Irving, and Saltgrass.) The other meals where made by my parents...and they were good. My parents either eat fairly well most days or they really bring their "A" game when their trainer son and family come home. 

What I once thought was a real treat isn't anymore. I use to love going to Mi Cocina and getting fajitas, chips and salsa. Now, I'd rather have my wife's home made/grease free fajitas any day (Eating For LIfe recipe.) I also had some Whataburger fries, which I use to really enjoy on special occasions, and my stomach felt terrible for hours after. 

I had three meals out over a three day period...never again will I do that. I don't know how people can function with that much grease/fat/lard in their system. That food was never meant to fuel our bodies...trust me. 

A Man with a Plan

Today I decide to write out an outline for each day of my week. Oftentimes, I just work through my day trying to knock out my "to-do" from most urgent to least urgent. Sounds good, right? The problem is that there is no end in sight. I may knock out 10 "to-do's" but there are 20 more waiting on my desk. 

I mention this because there is a direct correlation between my business and personal "to-do" list and my workouts. In short, my workouts get bumped frequently due other urgent items on my list. So, I'm adding a little more structure to my day in hopes of accomplishing more in the long haul as well as feeling a bit more accomplished when the day is over. 

Thursday Workouts

John, Linda (two of my trainers) and I did some pull up work today between 2 sessions. We worked on 3 different grips (supinated, pronated, and towel) style pull ups as well as kipping and traditional style. 

We did 8-10 burn out sets. I did the first few sets with no band and then added a support band after about 4 sets. My reps range was as high as 12 and as low as 5. 

Later this afternoon I'm going to practice squat tech for about 30 minutes and then wrap up with 3-4 heavy sets of 8-10 reps each set. I'm hopeful that Linda, John and I will be able to continue to get our  little 30-45 min "trainers training trainers" workout in between our 715a and 900a sessions...I'm crossing my fingers. 

Wednesday Food

610a breakfast: eggs, avocado, frank's red hot,  3 links of turkey sausage

900a-curry cashews, 2 swigs of organic 1% chocolate milk...don't tell my wife and drank from the carton...i was in a big hurry ; ) 

1130a-leftover spag. squash, baked chicken, and pesto avocado dressing

300p-Fage, cranberries

700p- homemade lean beef soft tacos, 2 cuties, 2 whole wheat torillas, fage as sour cream sub, yucatan guacamole, 

900p-gala apple

100p-another gala apple and 8 oz 1% milk