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Day 4. Monday, November 7, 2011. 6am
I was at Pap’s Dungeon early today. It was cold and rainy. I had some tightness in my right knee, but overall I felt pretty good after some awesome training on Sunday. My shoulder is feeling much better; the laser treatments are starting to work. Here is what I did on Day 4. The exercises again are grouped by areas of the body starting with the lower legs, and done for super sets or giant sets.
Lower Legs
Jump Rope: 150-200
Toe Raises: 8 x 60 (20 in-20-out-20 straight) for two sets
Legs/Lower Back
Heavy Tire Pull: 116 pound tire x 50 yards forward for two sets
116 pound tire x 50 yards reverse for two sets
Good Mornings: 65 pounds for 25 reps
65 pounds for 30 reps
65 pounds for 30 reps
Upper Back/Arms
Rope Pull: 116 pound tire x 50 feet with 1.5 inch rope for two sets
Tire Flip: 185 pound tire x 22 flips for two sets
Chin: 5-10
Ab Circuit
Sit-ups/Level 4: 35-41
Hanging Leg Raise: 30-36
Bicycle: 50-52
45 Degree Delt Raise: 5 X 50 reps for two sets
Jumps on 24 inch mat: Three sets of 12 Jumps
Walking Lunge: 45 pound bar for 100 yards
Total Time: 1 hour; 20 minutes
Arnie Fonseca, Jr. is the owner of Neuro Institute, Inc., which is located in Tempe, Arizona. He works as a Traumatic Injury Recovery Coach and loves a fitness challenge!
Today I’m starting a Training Blog which will follow the next 70 training days, including today, November 4th, 2011 leading up to the Arizona Tough Mudder on Saturday/Sunday January 14th and 15th of 2012. The course is about 11 miles long and expectations for most are to finish in about 2 hours 30 minutes. The reasons for blogging my journey are to help guide my team, inspire and educate others, who like me are curious on how to best prepare for such an event, but mainly to push me to a higher level of cardio-strength fitness. Also as a side benefit as a 52 year old athlete I hope to guide those Boomers through possible injury issues as well as how to best design a plan for the next 70 days. I must be fair to those just starting out that I am a Triathlete and Fitness Nut who has been training 5-7 days per week for the past 18 months. But the uncertainty of the Tough Mudder has inspired me to get better focused, as well as helping to guide and coach others. Please feel free to comment and suggest your training, nutrition, and inspirational ideas, as well as how you feel as you train along with us. Anything that you feel will add value to our preparation would be awesome! After 70 days we should have a better idea what to do and what not to do in preparation for the Tough Mudder. Also I will be listing exactly what exercises that I do along with the reps. At this time I won’t list my weights on certain machines as your equipment is different, but I will list for all others, please feel free to share that information with us if you want. Also I grouped the exercises on this day by area of the body, starting with the lower body, working my way up to the shoulders and finishing with abdominals and Lunges. One last thing I have been treating a bicep tendon injury over the last few weeks. I will be strengthening that area over the same period. So here we go with Day 1 Friday November 4, 2011.
Day 1
Lower Legs/Calves
Jump Rope; three sets: 100-150-150
Toe Raises; three sets: 50 toes straight-50 toes in- 50 toes out
Quads/Hamstrings
Ankle Tire Pulls: These are done with special designed ankle straps. This can also be done with a sled. I have access to various tires. I will have video as we go on.
45 pound tire pulled forward for 100 yards; followed by pulling the same tire 100 yards backwards. This was done non-stop for 300 yards of each.
Upper Back/Arms
Rope Pull: A 2 inch fifty foot rope was used to pull a 100 pound tire over a rubber floor
Three sets of 50 foot pulls were done.
Clean Pulls: With an Olympic Bar I performed three sets of hang pulls with 135 pounds for sets of 12-12-15
Chins: Three sets 5-5-8
Shoulders
45 degree standing dumbbell raise: 3lbs for 50 reps for two sets; 5lbs for 50 reps
Close Grip High Pull: Three sets; 20-25-30
Shoulder Horn: Three sets 8lbs for 25 reps
Abdominal Circuit
Sit-ups; level three: 20-25-30
Bicycle: 50-50-50 each leg
Hanging leg Raise: 25-25-30
Straight Leg Lift: 25-25-30
Walking Lunge: 45 pound bar on shoulders for 100 yards
Finished! Time: One hour and 35 minutes.
Arnie Fonseca, Jr is the owner of Neuro Institute, Inc. In Tempe, Arizona. He works as a Traumatic Injury Recovery Coach and loves a fitness challenge!
Have you ever wondered how some people have the special knack to be at the right place at the right time? They always seem to find opportunity or are successful at things that seem to find them. You may be thinking that they are just lucky or that they have some special magical power that attracts these opportunities to them. You might be right in both cases! But what if they are just better prepared then the next person? The old saying that when preparation and opportunity come together you have success has a lot of truth to it. Although many of you might be telling yourself that you have prepared for things through school, special training or your life experience and you seem to miss a lot of these once in a lifetime opportunities. I agree, because I’ve been there myself, but in talking with those who have grabbed the “Brass Ring” and held on, they have told me that many times instead of waiting for opportunity, or for their ship to come in, you might just have to jump off the dock and swim to it! I’d like to illustrate this with a couple stories that I have personally witnessed and gone through.
BEING AUTHENTIC
Recently, someone very close to me had the opportunity to share something that they experienced to a large group. The individual in charge of the presentation was interested in having a more scripted version of the presentation. Well, the presenter was use to speaking from the heart, being authentic and very interactive. My first thought was to ask, “How well to you know the material?” She expressed that she lived it and was passionate about it. Great! Then do the best you can, prepare your script, but for the presentation prepare some bullet points on a note card and speak from your heart, the key was to be authentic. My thought was that people don’t want to be read to, they want to feel they are part of the experience. Also because you know it, you should be able to keep your story within the time restraints given. It worked! She was amazing! It came across as if you had experienced the journey with her. The group was pulled into the experience. Why did this happen? She was prepared and opportunity was presented. She was able to present in her style because she had internalized the adventure and spoke authentically from the heart.
MOTIVATED BY FEAR
Ten years ago I had an awesome opportunity to present at an International Conference on Spinal Cord Injuries, in Iceland. I was asked to present about my unique approach to rehabilitation. Boy what an opportunity, plus all expenses paid. How cool was that. I started preparing, putting together video of some of my most successful clients and preparing my talk. I had convinced myself that I had to be perfect because I would be presenting to a group of medical professionals from all over the globe. I arrived in Iceland for the conference and I was ready. I immediately ran into a couple problems I hadn’t prepared for. The system they had for video was different that what I had. They thought they would be able to adapt. Fifteen minutes prior to my talk I was told no video, oops! No problem, I had my script. I got myself psyched for the biggest talk of my career. I confidently walked to the front of the room, script in hand. The head presenter, a good friend, introduced me and I was on. I calmly reached for my notes and I couldn’t read them. I wear contacts for distance vision, so close up reading required special glasses, which I didn’t bring, and the lighting was poor. I was never known for details! I had this crazy feeling come over my body, first I started to heat up and sweat and then a chill came over me. This had to be fear! I looked over at my friend, who had no idea what was going on. This seemed like an eternity although it was only a few seconds. I again calmly put my notes in my pocket and began my presentation. I told myself, “You Know This!” Just talk from your heart, be authentic. I moved around the room with confidence and after 20 minutes or so and another 15 minutes of Q&A, which they had discouraged other presenters because of time, I had one of the biggest success of my life. Why? I was prepared because this was my passion; it was easy to talk about my passion. I also believe they allowed more time because I had interacted so well with the group by pulling them into my world. All this happened because I was ready for the opportunity. Actually in this case I believe I had to swim out to the ship, by choosing not to give up when all was coming down on me.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
My last story centers around one of my favorite movies, which many Gen X’ers may not relate to but us Baby Boomers sure do. The Wizard of Oz offers amazing insight wrapped around a wonderful story. Quickly let me explain. The smartest person in the story was the Scarecrow, and all he wanted was a brain. The kindest was the Tin man and all he wanted was a heart, the bravest was the Lion and all he wanted was courage, and of course Dorothy could have gone home whenever she wanted if she had just asked. All of these wonderful characters had success when presented with the opportunity because they were all blessed with special talent and life had prepared them well. They just lacked confidence, which, if you remember was given to them by the Wizard, from a sack. The symbol they were given gave them confidence to believe in the ability they already had! How many of us have the same special ability, some greatness within us, if only some “Wizard” would just reach in his bag and hand us some confidence? I have seen many lives change, including my own, by realizing I was special and I can make a difference. Although we all love to be encouraged, you can’t wait for this to happen. You need to prepare for your opportunity and then go get it. Then maybe you can be someone’s “Wizard” and hand them some confidence through your encouragement. You will become the difference maker from your own experience. Start today and create an awesome life!
I had a wonderful experience recently that illustrates how easy it is to positively affect the lives of others. I recently had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman who last year experienced a tragic accident. This left him with an injury that affects his entire body; he has been labeled a quadriplegic. Unlike most in his situation he was blessed with the ability to stand with assistance from his wheelchair and recently has gained the ability to walk with a special cane. Besides all that his entire life has been turned upside down, as you could imagine. So as I got to see him demonstrate the things he could do physically, I immediately created a vision for where I could see him in the next few years. I didn’t immediately share my vision with him and his wife. I wanted to first hear what his dream was. I didn’t know, maybe it would be bigger than mine, I hoped it would be. Like any good Coach or Guide we can see things more clearly, as we aren’t dealing with the emotion of the situation. Well in this case when he finished demonstrating what he could do, I just briefly told him of the potential that I had seen. His reaction completely overwhelmed me. He broke down emotionally and when he gathered himself he said that no one had told him that that before, since his injury. I could almost see the boulder being lifted off his chest. He was able to breathe again as the hope began to energize his body. He then shared with me all the things he wanted to do. He was willing to do anything to get a normal life back. How many of us find ourselves in similar situations, not from a traumatic injury, but from other traumatic events, which can be just as devastating to our life. Where you feel you have this massive boulder on your chest. When all you need is someone you trust to give some encouragement. Someone to believe in you. It can and does many times make all the difference in the world. It’s huge! Take time and reach out to someone, who is in a tough spot and encourage them. Just knowing you’re there could make all the difference. Help someone design an awesome life!
As one gets older and begins to see a decline in physical and psychological function. This hopefully creates an awareness that something needs to be done. The problem for most is that most rely on various individuals that they trust for advice. They could be medical or just have good general knowledge. The key is that you trust them. This is defined by behavior over time. Because they have previously provided an answer or a solution, you trust that they will be there again. This is where many times we can run into road blocks when it comes to our health. At some point you need to find out what works for you. This is where it becomes difficult. If you just don’t know, which most don’t, of course you may reach out to someone you trust. I would advise you to start seeking out experts in areas that you want to change, areas that are negatively affecting your life, especially with your health. You have to become aware that the strategies or advice you receive is working for you. Your job is discover or rediscover what works for you. This is where it becomes difficult. Because this can and does change many times during our lifetime, which will cause you negative stress. If you just don’t know, which most people don’t, of course you’re going to try to go to someone you trust. My advice is to start seeking out experts in areas that are affecting your life, especially with your health. You have to become aware and certain that the strategies or advice to receive is working for you. You have to be willing to seek out the information or the person who can best help you. Everyone is different. You are special and need to be treated that way. I find with exercise and wellness that if the program doesn’t fit you like a glove, keep looking. Now I’m not talking about being easy, I’m talking about being right for you. This will allow you to work hard and achieve results. Age just doesn’t matter; find an expert that will guide you along your journey.
Have you ever got involved in an activity or game, physical or mental, and you found out that it was a lot more than you bargained for. Think of how you felt and then try putting yourself in the place of someone in their 80”s or 90’s. This is probably one of the main reasons that a lot of people end up not following through with things in their lives. I know I have had difficulties with this. I’m fine if the desire to finish is strong enough, or when the pain is strong enough. But I remember many times it was such overwhelming joy doing this activity, that I created an anchor of joy and happiness to what I was doing. This feeling would stay with me the rest of my life. This anchoring works at any age. So let’s look at exercise with the elderly. My research shows that somewhere between 10-20 percent of the individuals that live in retirement communities participate in a regular organized exercise program. Far less are involved in programs that actually build and strengthen muscles. Why is this? I believe a lot of people who organize these classes or have direct access to the 80 plus age group tend to forget that many of them , whom are known as “America’s Greatest Generation”, where born before 1930, they didn’t grow up with organize exercise. They had to work hard during the Great depression. Playing games and exercise was not a big part of their lives after they were done with school. For some, exercise may have been anchored to pain. This happens to be a big problem today. So why would someone continue something that reminds them of pain.
Fun and Games
What then are the things that many in the over 80 age group seem to never tire of or lack the motivation for? How about playing card games and Bingo. These two activities never seem to lack for participants at any of the thousands of retirement places across the globe. Why? Because early in their lives these games were anchored to having fun. They are games that remind them of joy in what was many time a very tough environment to grow up. If we can learn to anchor exercise and fun we have such a better chance of getting someone to make it a part of their lives. More importantly if we can get this wonderful generation to anchor building strength to having fun we can save their lives.
I was recently at an event. As usual I was sharing with everyone, who would listen how important it was to keep strength training as a part of our routine as we get older. Most didn’t become interested until I mentioned that most people will have balance issues, unless they use their muscles in a way that is more aggressive or physically challenging. In other words you need to make those muscles “burn” at least twice per week. This is a different type of burn as compared to walking, hiking, jogging, biking or swimming. These are very important to do, but they aren’t strength building for most people. They are aerobic and great for heart lung fitness. Actually biking and swimming are great for recovery from intense exercise. I strongly suggest that everyone does 4-5 days of some type of aerobic activity for at least 45 minutes. But if you’re not working those muscles hard enough to stimulate growth or strength than falling will be an issue for you. The key is getting your muscles to respond quickly. Weight training is really your only option, as you get older. It will work-I guarantee it! I can say that because there are hundreds of studies that show this. Back to my conversation. Many who I spoke with were involved in some form of exercise. But when it came to strength there was a big resistance to either doing it or they were in a strength program , but weren’t quite sure about what they were doing, they needed help. So that becomes the issue for many of us. We know we should be doing something, but we need guidance or “hand holding”. Successful people are constantly getting professional advice and help from those who have been where they want to go. When it comes to strength it’s no difference, find someone who can teach you what you need to know and help you develop a plan for the rest of your life. Because it could save your life. If you get stronger your balance will significantly improve. Improved balance could save your life. Design an awesome life.
Have you ever been to a seminar, conference or meeting that when you left you was “On Fire!” from whatever you heard. A good presentation is designed to ignite a fire in you. But really that fire may only last a couple days. So let’s say you went to a lecture on Saturday. By Tuesday there is a big chance that “fire” is all but gone. When it comes to exercise this is par for the course. You might get upset because you can’t fit into your clothes, or because you can’t do something physically. If the pain is intense enough it has a better chance of getting you to act. If not, you probably will get started, but the odds are great that you won’t finish. For many they won’t even get started. So, what would be a good strategy, to be able to act on some knowledge that you may be learning or have been exposed to? One thing would be to create a vision in your mind of what you want, and then work backwards. So regardless of how slow you start, you now know where you’re going. You have to be able to tell yourself and others that “I can do it”. When I work with elderly or challenged populations I always set the bar so low that they can and will “do it”. My goal for them is to create a lifetime habit of exercise and wellness. I realize how important it is for them to move-today! Every day that they wait is another day the body will literally decay. As a coach my job is to create a path for someone to reach their goal. I remind them of the vision, but we focus on today. With guidance on this journey I am never amazed that people, especially elderly can literally change their life with exercise. They can and do get younger up and into their 90’s. Exercise is the key to being able to design an amazing life. I challenge everyone to start moving today and just watch how your life changes.
This was a
This is an awesome post from Steve Pavlina.com Give it a try!
This is a guest post from my wife, Erin.
It’s a visualization / meditation exercise for communicating with your subconscious mind (or your higher self, spiritual guides, a higher power, etc.). Feel free to adapt the paradigm she uses to fit into your current belief system. She taught me this about 11 years ago, and I’ve been practicing it ever since.
Go To Your Room
Wouldn’t it be great if your subconscious mind could leave you messages the same way someone might leave you a message on voicemail? How valuable would it be to receive a direct message from your subconscious or higher self? What if you could not only get a message but have a back-and-forth conversation with your subconscious mind?
When I was a teenager a friend of mine taught me a method for doing just that. I’d like to share it with you and see if you find it as amazing and valuable as I do. It’s a method I still practice today when I want to receive a direct message from my higher self. Here’s what you do:
You can do this lying down or in a comfortable chair. I usually do it at night before I go to sleep since I know I won’t be interrupted, and it also helps prepare me for sleep and interesting dreams.
Close your eyes and relax. Imagine you are walking into an elevator and the doors close. You are on the 21st floor, and you are on your way down. See the numbered display above the elevator doors, and notice that the light for the 21st floor is lit. Now you are going down the elevator, and you see the light for the 20th floor turn on. Breathe deeply in between floors. Next you see “19″ and so on. Feel the motion of the elevator as you go down, see the numbered lights counting down, and count them in your mind as you breathe deeply once or twice in between floors. When you reach the first floor, the doors open. Step out.
Now you see a staircase, going down. There are exactly 21 steps. Imagine yourself walking down the staircase, but pause for a moment on each step, and take a deep breath before stepping down to the next one. Count in your mind, and really feel yourself walking down the stairs. When you reach “1″ you are at the bottom of the staircase.
Now you see a door that is slightly ajar. You walk up to it, open it, and see a brightly lit corridor with dozens of closed doors along the way. A guardian is standing there, and you ask him or her to be led to “your room.” Imagine you are being led down the corridor to your room. Open the door.
What you see inside as you step into your room is entirely up to you and your imagination. Explore the room and take note of what you see in there. Is it cluttered or neat? Is it sterile or cozy? Does it look futuristic or antiquated? Is there furniture or is it bare? Whatever you see is fine. Just take note of it.
Find a place to sit down and ask to speak to your subconscious, or your higher self, or even your spirit guides. See who shows up. Have a conversation with them and ask them what they want you to know. Then listen. When you are through, thank them and exit your room. Be sure to close the door. Back track your way to the staircase and climb it, counting up from 1 to 21. Then step into the elevator and do the same, count up from 1 to 21 and step out. You’re done.
Now that is the setup. Later you can go back to your room any time and talk to whomever you find there.
Then experiment! When I go to my room, there is a chalkboard. And on that chalkboard is always a written message from my higher self. Perhaps in your room there is an answering machine, and you simply need to press play to hear the message. Or perhaps when you enter your room a phone is ringing, and you answer it and hear your message on the other end. Come up with a way for your subconscious or higher self to leave you messages that you can check when you don’t want to have a lengthy conversation.
You can use this method to get clarity on a problem by asking a specific question, then going into your room and seeing your answer on the chalkboard, or dry erase board, or hear it on your spiritual answering machine. Or you can use this method to have a long talk with your higher self or subconscious mind.
I’ve even gone so far as to lay down on the couch in my “room” and proceed to mentally enter another elevator and go down another 21 floors, then 21 steps, then into another corridor with another room! Talk about a trip! You could also try asking the corridor guardian to be taken to someone else’s room (perhaps a spouse or family member) and meet their higher self! See what happens and what their room looks like to you.
You can redecorate or make other changes to your room. If it’s cluttered, clean it up! You might find that your life is getting “cleaned up” by doing this. I’ve also done a room addition on mine so that now there is a cozy, comfortable bedroom for me to sleep in when I don’t feel like going all the way back up the stairs and elevator.
The insights on this journey are invaluable. And the dreams you’ll have after doing this exercise may be a little more clear than usual. Pay attention to them and what they might be trying to tell you. And the next time you’re feeling unsettled or unclear about something in your life, just go to your room!
If you find this exercise useful, you might also enjoy this other visualization/meditation for meeting your future self.
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