Life got in the way last week and I was unable to post an update about my 21-Day Fitness Challenge. However, at the halfwat point, I thought I’d take a moment and share some of the observations I’ve been Tweeting about over the past 10 days.

• If you pay attention to mobility and intensity, even an older athlete can handle high volume training. The key here of course is taking care of your soft tissue. As you age, you’ll naturally lose some elasticity (do you feel stiffer in the AM now than you did 10 years ago?) but patience and persistence can keep you in the game. Another huge factor is varied intensity. It’s a simple equation, the harder your training, the longer your recovery. If, as I have been, you are looking for volume, you must temper intensity.
• It’s difficult to train for volume OR intensity and diet at the same time. If you workout, you’re gonna get hungry! Your body needs food and sleep to recover. If you’re denying it one or both, you’re wasting your time in the gym. 
• If you eat “right”, it’s almost impossible to overeat. I used FitDay for the first week and while I am appaled by the food choiced in their database, it’s very interesting to see what your putting in your tank. If you cnotrast that with how you feel overall and how you’re performing in the gym, you’ll quickly see how important food is, especially once you’ve reached a “certain age”. 
• Lastly, use a Foam Roller. If you don’t know what/how, do a search on YouTube then buy one and use it — daily!

As I go into the back stretch on this program, I assume, as I did in the first half, that I will miss a day or two due to soreness or work demands but overall, I am learning a lot about where my body is at 53 and how hard I can push it in the future.

It feels good to be out of the box…

Ok, so it’s three weeks until my 53rd birthday and I’m attempting a difficult 21-day challenge. Sure, its only three weeks but it’s also every damn day! 

Here’s the deal…

EXERCISE

Squat everyday – that could mean heavy triples, 10/8/6, 5×5, 2×15, 1×20, Tabata, 10 min. ISO Hold, Jump Squats, Depth Squats w/ KB, etc. but squat every day between today and August 24th. I’ll also do some “assistance” work every day as follows:

Mon – Chest
Tue – Biceps
Wed – Shoulders
Thr – Back
Fri – Hips & Hammies 
Sat – Triceps
Sun – Traps

Obviously there will be plenty of warm-up/cool-down and if you want specifics, ask! If I’m using lingo that you don’t understand, ask! If you want to play along, ask! Do you see a pattern here?

FOOD

Warrior-like eating pattern – green tea, fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, coffee in the afternoon if I’m feeling drained, BIG dinner (wine is ok as long as it doesn’t kill my macro profile for the week — in other words, if I’m having wine, I’ll pass on pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.).

SUPPLEMENTS

AM: Tribulus, 500ml water, 1T Fish Oil w/ D3
Meals: Glucosamine, Resveritrol, Amla C, Milk Thistle, Turmeric, Saw Palmetto, CoQ10, ALA w/ dinner
Pre WO: Tribulus, BCAA
Post WO: Protein and Creatine in coconut water
PM: ZMA

OTHER

Walk 2 miles (~45 min.) every AM (with the dog)
Sleep as much (8 hour MINIMUM!) as possible…

DISCLAIMER

I have done some serious strength and conditioning work in my past. I’ve lifted competitively (and lost badly but I still competed) and I’ve trained VERY hard with guys who understand what that means. I’m not recommending that you try to do this, I’m experimenting with MY limits and challenging you to question yours! Follow my weekly blog and daily Tweets for updates. If it’s working, I may also publish my FitDay log.

Get out of MY box and start making real measurable progress today!

I’m about to head out for my annual beach vacation and when I return, I’m going to devote my August blog posts to Fitness Over 50. As you know from a previous post, I have always been an active person and more than willing to experiment on myself. So, when I return from vacation, I will spend 21 days in a strict and difficult training program based on a plan devised by someone half my age. The theory I’m testing is that even in your 50s, you can work hard but you also have to work smart. 

Each day, for 3 weeks, I will squat. Could be heavy, could be light, could be Tabata; who knows. I’m coming off an injury so I’m liable to be a bit rusty but I’ll let my body dictate the pace and the load. Additionally, I will do something else while I’m in the gym (again, I’ll let my body tell me what it wants) and be sure to stay loose and healthy. 

On the diet front, it’s lots of supplements and a Diet Log. This will be tougher for me than the workout side of things but equally (if not more) important. My thought is that I will blog weekly and Tweet daily about my experiences and if I can muster up the courage, I’ll take the Diet Log public as well. 

Get out of your box and start making real measurable progress today!