Today's Workout.

I got to the gym a little later than usual this morning, about 8am if I remember, maybe a little earlier than that.  Climbed the StairMaster for the usual 45 minutes at level 10 in interval training mode.  Got a good sweat going, and when finished, proceeded to work shoulders with dumbbells.  I have been doing Arnold presses lately for shoulders giant setted with front dumbbell raises, side dumbbell lateral raises and bent over dumbbell lateral raises.  I like to use a light enough weight that allows me to really feel my deltoids working and not simply slinging weights around.  After 3 giant sets of these exersises, I did a few sets of overhead presses in a Hammer Strength machine.
I was talking to a guy after working out that had been beside me on a StairMaster machine while I was on a StairMaster who said I was impressive on the StairMaster.  I proceeded to tell him I did not get to that level of performance quickly or for example, over night!  Using the StairMaster in interval training mode reminds me of riding my 10 speed bicycle through hill country 7 miles out of saddle.  Last year I rode my 10 speed 6,000 miles, much of which I usually pulled my Burley Nomad trailer.  For 1,100 of those miles I was pulling about 100 lbs while on tour last summer.  Incredible heart and leg stamina can be built, but not in a few days.  You really need to live the cyclist lifstyle in order to achieve the kind of daily performance I am describing here.  I suspect endorphins are involved, because my body craves being on the StairMaster or my bicycle on a daily basis.  I just don't feel my best if I do not get that kind of regular exersise.  Tomorrow will be chest, back & abs day!
Peace,

Pushing the Envelope!

Some days I feel like I am ready to push the envelope so to speak.  As Emeril Lagasse would say, "Kick it up a notch!"  Of course if you have been letting yourself down by skipping days in the gym, eating empty food or simply not eating to recover and get stronger, then you might never be ready to push the envelope.  These are what I refer to as fun days in the gym.  You've paid your dues in more ways than one, and now you get to take the new muscle car for a spin and see what's under the hood!  For example, maybe the weight that seemed heavy in the leg press two weeks ago, now seems like a child's toy.  I always recommend moving weights under complete control and never droping them when lowering them in any exercise.  I believe it's important that I share a little experience with you at this time.  About two years ago I was working out in Taos at the Taos Spa & Tennis Club.  I was feeling strong in the leg press and was lifting quite a lot of weight for my size.  I let the leg press sled come down on me too fast and thought I hurt my hip joint.  I walked with a limp for 2-3 weeks thinking I hurt the joint in my right hip.  One day after taking a shower, I noticed in the mirror while shaving that I had a brown bruise on my right hip.  It dawned on me that I had torn my right glute.  So I am passing this valuable experience on to you and I hope you share it with others, always control the weights when lowering them or in the negative part of the exersise to prevent injury and to properly stretch the muscle in the full range of motion.  Tip 2:  In the Preacher Curl, make sure your seat is not adjusted too low, or you can seriously hurt your neck.  I know this from experience too!  My neck hurt for more than a week after doing Preacher Curls with the seat adjusted too low.


Peace,

Steven Brick

Today's workout.

I climbed on the StairMaster for 45 minutes at level 10 in interval training mode, then put on a dry t-shirt and proceeded to work arms & abs.  For biceps I did alternating dumbbell curls in the upright seated position supersetted with tricep cable pushdowns.  In between sets I would stretch my arms and lats hanging onto the bar handle attached to an overhead cable/weight stack.  I am a firm believer in thorough stretching between sets.  I did 3-4 supersets focusing on weights that would permit me to do 12-15 reps per set for each arm.  Then I did 3 sets of overhead cable crunches for abs supersetted with straight arm front lat pull downs (I can really feel this exercise work the muscles that attach to my ribs).  That was all for today.  Tomorrow will be leg day starting at 6 am sharp on the StairMaster of course!

Steven Brick

Perricone Prescription Results

About 6 years ago I was diagnosed with depression.  I was at least 60 pounds over weight and had no energy to do much of anything.  I could not get enough sleep.  I would wake up in the morning and feel like going right back to sleep.  I did not have much reason to live to be honest.  I had gone to the doctor and he gave me an anti-depression prescription drug, which made me feel numb.  I did not want to feel numb, so I did not take the prescription drug for very long once I realized what it was going to do to me.  I really wanted an answer to my health problem.  I had recently started a new job which got me out of the house more, and that was a very good thing.  I came home one evening from work and happened to turn my small television on to PBS, which I seldom did.  Dr. Nicholas Perricone happened to be on talking about how different foods effect a person's body.  He was explaining that foods are like drugs, they will either bring you up or bring you down.  After watching this doctor on PBS I decided to get his 3 part lecture series on DVD, his book, The Perricone Prescription, and the 28 day personal journal that went along with the book.  The book was very easy to follow and after watching the DVD first, I could not put the book down.  Dr. Perricone starts a person off with what he calls the 3 day nutritional face lift.  This 3 day diet is recommended to be followed over a 3 day weekend starting on a Friday.  I did just that and after the 3 day weekend was over, I decided that because I understood the shopping list requirements to stay on the diet, I would simply stay on this diet for 3 months to see what would happen to my body.  After 3 months on this diet I had lost 60 pounds.  My depression was completely gone and I was excited about life again.  I actually lost an additional 10 pounds by simply taking a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement in the morning and in the evening which was available from Melaleuca, The Wellness Company.  Nutrition is a big deal and something that the general public is not told enough about.  Let's face the facts!  When you go to a grocery store, not everything on the shelves is health food.  The grocery stores will sell just about anything to make a quick buck.  Grocery stores are like conveinence stores or other stores that sell cigarettes.  Cigarettes are being sold simply to make the money, not because the store owner cares about people.  I believe cigarettes should be just a illegal as meth.  It's obvious that stores that sell crap that kills people could care less about the golden rule, do unto others as you would have others do unto you.  Maybe people who sell bad stuff to others don't realize that all that bad karma is coming back onto them and that's why their lives are becoming more and more desparate to get by.  I hope this article motivates you to get a copy of the Perricone Prescription and put the information in this book to the test in your own life.  Take the time to see for yourself what ideal nutrition will do for your well being.  You will thank me later!


Peace,  Steven Brick

Over the Hill Joint Pain!

Before I turned 40 I experienced shoulder joint pain when I had a job doing repetitive lifting from waste level to above my shoulders all day, five days a week.  I had never experienced shoulder joint pain like that before, and I was very  concerned.  I did not know what was wrong with me, and I did not know what to do.  I asked for people's opinions around me that were working with me and no one seemed to know what to do.  I was determined to self medicate versus going immediately to a doctor for treatment and I am very glad I did.  I simply went to the local store that carried supplements & vitamins to see what they might have for joints.  After looking their vast selection over, I decided to get a triple strength version of the glucosamine, chondroitin & MSM.  Within 12 hours of starting to take this supplement, 90% of the pain I had went away, and within a few days of taking this supplement, all of my pain was gone and I was back working at full capacity again.  A few years after this first experience with shoulder joint pain I started lifting weights again at a local spa and experienced shoulder joint pain again.  I was not so concerned this time and simply got on the glucosamine, chondroitin & MSM again right away.  As the first time, the pain soon went away and I was free to lift all the weights I wanted again.  Another year after that the same situation happened again, and again, I used the same remedy which worked again as before.  It's obvious that people are going to get older and our bodies will change mainly because we live in an imperfect world which is trying hard to kick our asses, but we do not have to be ignorant and unable to fight back with sound knowledge.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!  Supplements do work and fill in the blanks where our less than perfect diets leave off.  I believe that a sound education in nutritional supplementation is one of the best investments a human being can make.  Think of all the options you have in life to spend your time on and I think you will agree that your spiritual and physical health are paramount on the list of :"things to do!".



If you have any questions about nutritional supplements, don't hesitate to ask.  If I know anything that can help you I will be happy to share.



Peace,Steven Brick

Brick by Brick.

When I woke up this morning at 4:30am, this is what came to my mind.  Some days you wake up and feel sore from the day before.  Some days you wake up and feel like you have recuperated and are ready to get back in the gym to do the cardio and lift the weights.  Today was a day for me when I felt like I had recuperated, and was ready to get back in the gym.  I was actually looking forward to waking up on the StairMaster listening to my favorite tunes on my mp3 player, and then deciding what body parts I needed to train with weights.  Today I chose to train arms only, since yesterday was chest and back day.  My arms felt recuperated and I knew they would be strong for a good workout.  I have been taking it easy with most of my lifting because it has been many months since I have been lifting weights.  I believe winter time is a great time to be in the gym lifting weights, so that when Spring arrives I am in tip top shape to get outside and do things like like my window cleaning business, Wind O' Washin', and riding my bicycle a lot.  I think it is important for people to realize that one's health & fitness is built one brick at a time, so to speak.  Everything builds on what you did yesterday!  This is what I like about bodybuilding or just engaging in any sort of consistent fitness activity, no one gets there in one day!  It takes consistent methodic efforts to reach your fitness goals.  Sometimes you add this piece of the puzzle and sometimes you add a different piece to the puzzle.  When you first get started you might not even have a clue what the pieces are to add to the puzzle, but the effort of getting started opens the doors to be ready to receive the enlightenment of what comes next.  I always think 80% of success is getting started, and the rest of the pieces of the puzzle show up as you are ready for them.  The human body and life in general really is very simple, and there is an eb and flow of our needs being met in due time.  I was thinking today of how Ronnie Coleman stated that he did not even want to get into bodybuilding many years ago, Ronnie did not know that adequate protein in his diet was what would enable him to put on more muscle.  Now today, Ronnie openly admits that he loves lifting weights because it makes him feel good!  That was what I was thinking today when I was working arms, I love the way my body feels when I am recovered, getting stronger, and getting a great pump from a workout.  This is obviously the reward God designed into the human body for being physically active and productive.  The bible talks about the sluggard or lazy person.  Being lazy is a lot less rewarding in many ways than being consitently physically active.  I think the main issue is the quality of your health, how you feel each day when you wake up.  Do you feel like climbing Mt. Everest, or do you feel like crawling into a hole and passing away?  Neither of these realities occurs as a result of your actions from one day, but rather they build day by day based on what you do TODAY!  I remember how good I felt when I had finished my training for the 12 week transformation challenge.  I had to go out and buy a new pair of pants because I had gone from a 35" waist to a 30" waist.  The pants I bought were a pair of Arizona relaxed fit 29" waist casual jeans.  These were the only jeans I could find that would fit my thighs and my waist properly.  It felt great to be properly dressed in clothes that fit right, one of the byproducts of leading an active healthy lifestyle.  I didn't have a girl friend at the time, but if I had, I think she surely would have appreciated my excellent physical condition.  Have you ever thought of yourself as a gift to your spouce?  God encourages us to be giving like he is giving.  If someone is hitched to you, the least you can do for them is get off your ass and stay in shape.  Why be a ball and chain for them to dread waking up to each morning?  If you happen to be a sloth or sluggard, I hope this message is what you needed to hear to give you that sharp kick in the ass to change your wicked way of living!


God bless you,Steven Brick

Sore, Sore, Sore...ouch!

Yesterday I had a great StairMaster aerobics session, as I usually start my day at 6am.  After the StairMaster, I decided to work legs fairly heavy in the leg press, and the leg curl supersetted with leg extensions, and then finished off legs with a few good sets of seated calf raises.  Today I am very sore in the leg department.  Even though I have been on the StairMaster every morning for 45 minutes for two weeks now, an intense leg workout with fairly heavy weights really stimulated my legs unlike the StairMaster does.  I actually feel like I need a day off from the gym all together to rest.  I have gained about 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks and have gotten stronger.  I feel bigger in my shirts and pants and my waist seems to be staying fairly slim so I must be putting on muscle, which is what I want to do right now.  I am trying to stay on a fairly healthy diet, but I would not say it is exactly clean at the moment.  I am not dieting to loose fat, that is for sure!  My main diet goal now is to just get in enough protein and calories in general to put on muscle and strength, which is what seems to be happening.  My heart is getting stronger with the regular intense cardio sessions, and that will give me more stamina on heavy back and leg days.  A really heavy back or leg day can take your breath away if you have not been staying up to speed with the cardio training.  I know that from much experience.  I have seen stars on many occasions during heavy leg presses, which is due to not getting enough oxygen to your brain during a lift.

My sore rib is getting much better now, and I can barely feel any pain there at all as compared to a week ago.  I still feel some pain when I take a deep breath, but it is not a stabbing pain like it was, but just a dull pain now, so it should be gone by next Saturday I pray.

It seems weird to already be 1/4 of the way through January in Minneapolis and so far our winter has just been a cool/frosty Fall with only 5 inches of snowfall so far this year.  If we are going to get 50 more inches as forecasted, the weather will need to do some serious shifting ASAP...LOL!

 I wanted to mention that I subscribe to Gaspari Push Harder daily motivational text messages and today was a great text I will share with you.  Here is the link if you want to subscribe yourself:  

http://www.gasparinutrition.com/speakup/smstext/listmessages.aspx

Today's text was:  "You can only become truly ACCOMPLISHED at something you LOVE.  So do what you love and do it very well!"

This was very fitting for my day today because part of me did not want to go to the gym to be on the StairMaster for 45 minutes, but because I did go and do it, I learned things about me that I would not have learned if I had not gone.  I have found in the past as well as today that even on days in the gym when you feel like you should not be there, you learn things about yourself that you would not have learned if you had not gone at all.  So it's not a loss by any means if you don't have a typical day or a great day in the gym.  The StairMaster today actually felt good to my sore legs and getting the blood pumping in my body in general always feels good to me.  Listening to my favorite upbeat tunes on my mp3 player is always a great way to get the day's momentum going.  I probably would not be here now writing this blog entry if I had not gone to the gym because my momentum for the day would obviously not be the same.  I decided to record a YouTube video about the day as well and that would not have happened if I decided not to go to the gym.  As you can see more positive things came from the day than negative.  Action vs. inaction always generates more positive than negative outcomes.  Getting in the habit of being continuously lazy is much more negative than doing too much!  The main negative about being habitually lazy is the unhealthy conditions it creates which can take a lot of energy to reverse.Steven Brick

Building Capacity!

Today as I was about three quarters of the way through my daily StairMaster session, I noticed that I was not even fully warmed up until then.  I finally felt warmed up 3/4s of the way through the entire session.  This should speak loudly to you if you have not spent much time on a StairMaster.  I was talking to my friend a few days ago on the phone, and encouraged him to become a master of the StairMaster, which I felt would enable him to easily tackle any other type of exercise in the gym with ease.  The reason I made this statement is because I notice how much stronger my heart gets when I use the StairMaster on a regular basis.  Like today, not really feeling warmed up until I was three quarters of the way through the 45 minute session at level 10 in interval training mode.  What will my heart's capacity be in another week to deliver oxygen to my muscles.  The heart is indeed a muscle that needs to be trained to become stronger and since the heart is responsible for pumping blood to your muscles, which need the oxygen from your blood to function in an aerobic mode of training, it makes sense that you need a strong heart to do other types of exercise.  12 months ago when I was training for the transformation challenge, I wore a heart monitor on my wrist with a wireless chest strap and sensor.  I noticed that as I lifted weights my heart rate would go up to about 140 beats per minute and then when I finished a lifting set, my heart rate would go back down to 100 fairly fast.  That was how I gauged when I was ready to do the next lifting set, which took about one minute between sets.  Intensity is partly determined by how much rest you get between sets and in order to be ready to do an additional set with only a minute's rest between sets, you must have a very strong heart which can pump enough oxygen carrying blood to your muscles to enable your muscles to recover from the previous set.  I also notice I get less winded while doing leg presses the more I use the StairMaster.  This speaks loudly to me.  Tom Platz is known for having some of the most amazing legs in the history of bodybuilding.  Tom Platz used a lot of volume in his leg training to get the amazing legs he built.  Volume of training is obviously important to build extraordinary muscle strength and development.  If you have eaten properly, which gives your body the fuel it needs to function, you should not get tired if you are in good physical condition.  If you are in good physical shape your body will naturally crave the time you spend in the gym or doing some other form a regular physical activity.  Your mind will crave the physical activity as well, because of the positive healthy chemicals that are produced by your body as a result of vigorous physical activity.  I speak from A LOT of experience, so don't blow me off here!  Try it and see for yourself.  You will thank me later!

I noticed a couple of days ago that people who graduated with me in high school for the most part look 20 years older than I do now.  I think that is largely due to not getting enough physical activity on a regular basis.  It is sad to think that so many people are robbing themselves of feeling the best they can by simply not making the daily investment of getting regular vigorous physical activity.  I encourage you to take control of your life starting today!  Do the best you can with what you have to work with.  Take your life seriously.  You deserve to be the best you can be.  In the Bible God encourages us to approve things which are excellent.  Being in the best physical condition you can be in is obviously something of excellence, so take God's advise even if you don't want to listen to me...LOL!  God is good and God is love!

The rest of us are in training.

Peace,

Steven Brick