DAY 6 - Interval Cardio/Protein

Weight = 167.0 LBS (Yes, up 2.5 LBS from yesterday)

WORKOUT

What a difference a day makes! After getting tossed all over the weight room (ok, the basement) for the last 2 days, it was back to familiar turf for me...cardio. The schedule called for 30 seconds of high intensity work followed by 30 seconds of easy work. These intervals were to be alternated for a total of 15 minutes.

Since WEEK 1 is the fat-burning portion of the program, I decided to do this workout right after getting out of bed. I started out by walking for 5 minutes and then increased my intensity to a light jog for another 5 minutes. Then it was time for the first 30 second high intensity interval! "Hey, what the hell is that!?" Yup, it was my hamstrings barking at me! Needless to say, the first few speed intervals were at less than a sprint. It was fairly cool (54°) this morning, too, so warming up took a while. As a runner, it felt good to lace 'em up and hit the pavement even if it was short-lived. This was the last true cardio session of the whole 28 days.

After the cardio, a short core strengthening session was on the agenda. I did 2 sets of curl squats (totally killer), 2 sets of trunk twists with the cables, and two sets of hyperextensions for the lower back. Lastly, the program has you do a 3-in-1 rotator cuff movement to help prepare for the heavy lifting ahead.

The wife says I'm already starting to "look more rounded and thicker"! The program promises quick results and it has delivered! My arms and shoulders definitely feel bigger and it's only DAY 6!

DAY 7 is a rest day then WEEK 2 starts what's termed "The Structural Attack". After reviewing the info, I'd say the term is accurate!

DIET

It was "Caveman Day"! Ok, not really but protein, protein, protein was the theme. The trick was that fat and carb levels were to be kept very low. Also, I kept my calories fairly low...1,400 to 1,500. That kept me from eating too much crap (like fatty meats and cheeses).

Right after my workout, I drank down about 25g of glutamine in water for a quick shot of protein since my body was on empty and I had to prepare my first meal. Breakfast was 6 egg whites and chicken with salsa followed by some cottage cheese. Late morning, I had some chicken, tuna, and hard boiled egg whites with some spinach and salsa. Mid-afternoon was chicken only with some hot sauce dripped on there for flavor. Perhaps I was living in what is now Mexico during my Caveman days?? Anyway, the wife and I went out for dinner at Outback where I had grilled salmon with an iceberg lettuce wedge (no dressing...red wine vinegar and a squeeze of lime only) and a few cherry tomatoes. My late snack will likely be some sort of smoothie with cottage cheese and protein powder.

I totally can feel my muscles soaking up the protein. They're almost buzzing! Plenty of sugar/sweet cravings today, for sure. Also, there was no doubt when it was time to eat again. My energy would just crash.

DAY 7 switches things up on the body again...fruit rules the day. No protein. No fat. Just fruit. I'm prepped and ready to go with lots of blueberries, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and bananas. Again, I'm going to try and keep my calories in check but the program says not to worry about it too much. All the sugar is going to be getting sucked up by the muscles after depleting my glycogen stores over the last 3 days. Cool, I says!