Time hinders my ability to really update this daily, not that anyone is following but it gives me a chance to read back and track progress. Im slowly settling into a schedule here. I've almost got used to the heat, like yesterday it was about 108, i thought wow this isn't too bad, it was 120 yesterday. LOL
Lifting is coming around, having 7 days to workout as opposed to 5 is really great for recovery and getting more work in. I completed a good full week of high rep bloid flowing lifts, Shoulders, Back tri's legs. I really got to work the kinks out. May hot some power this week 4-6 rep range to get some baseline numbers for all the major compound movements. It's pretty hard to lose weight here, The food is pretty good, and there is plenty of it and its FREE, I eat about 4 full meals a day, plus cliff bar protein bars in between. I drink about 3 gallons of water, but piss out 4. I really need to dial in the meal sizes I really only had carbs on Pasta thursday lol, and had a piece of cheesecake in the early part of the week. For the most part its been all eggs bacon, chicken and fish. They have every dessert here you can think of which sucks. But will power is working. Cardio is so hard to do because of the crippling heat. I did try to get almost 3 miles in yesterday at 0530 but even then the heat index was 110 so I hope to venture over to the cardio shack and look at the in door route. Maybe hit the pool and swim laps.
I'm leaving for downtown Doha shortly kind of excited, super nervous. Say what you will but I still refuse to trust the arab world so it is what it is, I need to be shot for looking at a girl that walks by or kidnapped for being the white devil. Sure it doesnt happen often but whatever. Its my feelings and im free to feel this way until proven other wise.
Tons of time to do school work. which is awesome.
and the number 1 great thing about it here is the mission. Here I feel like I matter, like a key cog, i get 20 plus calls a day about items. Even more emails from all ranks needing this or that. I really feel important here. Not like back in the states. Obviously the mission wont stop at patrick if they don't get their soccer balls, tool chests, or furniture. But here if they don't get that 500kw generator for their shop then the shop doesn't run etc. so a Sense pf purpose here really puts things into perspective. Especially seeing how busy it is here. Its go go go go go go.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I guess I can offically say ITS ON! like donkey kong
So despite about 7 hrs of sleep since thursday i elected to force myself to normalize and hit the gym. James Klein owner of Ergo-Genix was kind enough to hook me up with some ErgoPump before I left. This product will provide me with a little preworkout fuel until I can settle in. I have yet to decide if im gonna lift at 530 am when its still cool and mid 80's out or risk lifting after work and staying up all night wired off stims. I hope I can get on the 8 am to 7pm schedule this will alot me a workout in the Am and cardio in the evening no stims. I also began my DCP and H.E.A.T stack from Genomyx today. Additionally I am taking Krill oil in the morning and evening. Water intake is about 12 gallons a day. No shit I drink about 10 bottles of water before I even have to piss. I have with me Nimbus Nutritions Poseidon complex which is basically a powdered drink mix with vitamins and electrolytes a big shout out to Tim for hooking me up. I figure i'll go a month or 2 before I jump into my Applied Nutriceuticals stack of Free Test HGH-up and RPM. This way Ill be in full swing.
Chest and Bi's today a little bit heavier but sticking with volume.
Incline Barbell press after warmup.
225x8
230x6 for 5 sets 30 secs rest in between.
Decline press
225x5 5 sets again 30-45 secs rest
Hammer Press 2 plates each side 4 sets of 10 same rest cycle
Wide grip Hammer iso press 2 plates each side 4 sets of 12 same rest cycle
Stretched like no other considering the pain I was in and no matter how many AC units blow I was soaked already
Bi's
DB curls 40lb x 10 3 sets
60lbs x 6 4 sets
Machine concentration curl
100x10 3 sets
Single Arm machine curl
30lbs x 12 3 sets
Cable Concentration curl
20x10 4 sets
Again all rest cycles were about 30 45 sec.s I finished faster than I had hoped but that is the plan with minimal rest. Not until I hit a power phase will I rest longer and my lifts last longer. Im not sure what the rest of the week will bring in term of schedule and cardio. Im still feeling it out. I'll check my stats and pics tomorrow and really begin tracking my progress
DB Hammer curls Dual arm
45lb DB both arms 3 sets of 7
Chest and Bi's today a little bit heavier but sticking with volume.
Incline Barbell press after warmup.
225x8
230x6 for 5 sets 30 secs rest in between.
Decline press
225x5 5 sets again 30-45 secs rest
Hammer Press 2 plates each side 4 sets of 10 same rest cycle
Wide grip Hammer iso press 2 plates each side 4 sets of 12 same rest cycle
Stretched like no other considering the pain I was in and no matter how many AC units blow I was soaked already
Bi's
DB curls 40lb x 10 3 sets
60lbs x 6 4 sets
Machine concentration curl
100x10 3 sets
Single Arm machine curl
30lbs x 12 3 sets
Cable Concentration curl
20x10 4 sets
Again all rest cycles were about 30 45 sec.s I finished faster than I had hoped but that is the plan with minimal rest. Not until I hit a power phase will I rest longer and my lifts last longer. Im not sure what the rest of the week will bring in term of schedule and cardio. Im still feeling it out. I'll check my stats and pics tomorrow and really begin tracking my progress
DB Hammer curls Dual arm
45lb DB both arms 3 sets of 7
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A heat unlike any other. The first day in Qatar
I finally arrived last night, and after a refreshing 3 hrs of sleep I woke up at 0400 to get the day going. Now I know I exaggerate a lot, however this time there is no exaggeration. I really wish there was a way to describe this. Its very unique. The only thing close to what I can say this feels like is if you were to bring a blow dryer to the beach and turn it on high while laying in the sun. Its very dry, the dust just hangs in the air, and when the wind blows it actually hurts the skin. Very unique heat, at 0130 this morning It was still easily 95 degrees out and as I type this it's about 115. Being 7 hrs ahead of east coast time it also makes it highly unlikely I can chat with my kids until the weekend. My workload isn't too bad and my projects are really cool. I actually look forward to performing the job. About as much as I look forward to going home already. I miss my wife and kids terribly and really without them around life sucks. I've always said the worst places on earth would not be bad if I had my family with me. Granted this place isn't all that bad and the food is good ( and free) I am also afforded opportunities to go off base occasionally for official work. Yet I just cannot get past the fact that If I want to improve my running which I desperately need to do I have to wake up at 0400 so I can run when its in the low 90's. I can now see why this culture hates the west so much. I too would hate the earth if I lived in hell 24/7. To the typical hater this would look like complaining and those that think everything is a dick measuring contest will say others have it worse. You are correct they do, but I dont care about others. Im talking about my present situation. Hopefully im gonna grab some zzz's and catch up on rest. I wont resume workouts until Monday when my body normalizes
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Importance of sleep on daily life and athletic performance
A few years back I began really digging into sleep. Sleeping patterns and the effects of lack of sleep on the body. Over the years my quality of sleep has suffered and with that my quality of life has suffered as well. I've had sleep studies, hormone panels and blood work out the wazzooo. The one thing I have learned is that poor sleep is crushing me. I've always been in perfect health, 116/75 BP resting heart rate in the upper 40's sleeping heart rate at 44. But on a deeper level in falling apart. anywho Sleep and why its important.
This is a collection from many sites. Paraphrased by myself but paragraphs from other sites.
In pursuit of the perfect body, many people focus on things like workout routines and supplements, however, many fail to consider another vital component of training-recovery. Remember that training is the stimulus to which the body adapts, but sufficient rest is essential to allow time for the adaptations to take place.
With adequate sleep athletes run better, swim better, and lift more weight. Exercise may be one of the best ways to achieve healthy sleep. A recent study (9) noted that people with minor sleep disturbances improved after four months of brisk walking 30 minutes four times a week. Another study (9) also reported that sleep improved in a group of seniors who exercised regularly.
WHY YOU NEED ZZZZ'S:
Sleep, a state that occupies about one third of our lives, is as basic a need as food, and vital to physical well-being. The main role of sleep is to restore the body's energy supplies that have been depleted through the day's activities. Factors that may influence human sleep patterns include physical size, muscle mass, brain size, and current level of physical fitness (12). Research indicates that people with a very high level of physical and intellectual activity need more sleep to fully recuperate. With that in mind, it is reasonable to think that the higher your activity level, the more sleep you need to restore your capacities.
Physical labor seems to increase the need for sleep more than intellectual work, a combination of both leads to the greatest sleeping needs, probably due to the fatigue of several systems of the body simultaneously.
Much of what is known about sleep stems from the groundbreaking 1953 discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (10). This is an active period of sleep marked in humans by intense activity in the brain and rapid bursts of eye movements. At the same time, scientists discovered that REM sleep is when dreaming occurs.
Before the 1950s, most scientists thought of sleep as an unchanging, dormant period, and considered it of little interest to science. During this time little was known about sleep or dreaming.
The earliest hints that sleep was a changing state came with studies showing that blood pressure, heart rate, and other body functions in humans rise and fall in a pattern during sleep. Because researchers had observed some eye movement during sleep, they recorded these movements by placing electrodes behind the eyes. They also recorded muscle activity and brain waves. They found regular periods of very rapid eye movement and rapidly changing brain waves that alternated with periods of deep, quiet, sleep marked by large, slow brain waves. Later, scientists found that the body is paralyzed during REM sleep (10).
Lack of sleep has major implications for public health, safety, productivity, and well-being. Little is known of the function or the role sleep plays in health and disease. It has been estimated that more than 60 million Americans, or approximately one in three adults, experience inadequate sleep that can interfere with daily activities (3). Excess sleepiness has been associated with accidents at work or at home, and at least three percent of serious automobile accidents and fatalities are due to a fatigued driver (3).
Sleep deprivation also affects us physically. Insufficient rest greatly reduces your recovery capacity, and thus your capacity to do physical work. Athletes undergoing an intense training program should sleep at least 9-10 hours/night and adding a short nap right after training is optimal. Each year sleep disorders add $16 billion to national health-care costs (e.g. by contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease). This figure does not account for accidents and lost productivity at work. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimates that sleep deprivation costs $150 billion a year in higher stress and reduced workplace productivity (US, 1999). 40% of truck accidents are attributable to fatigue and drowsiness, and there is an 800% increase in single vehicle commercial truck accidents between midnight and 8 am. Major industrial disasters such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, have been attributed to sleep deprivation (5).
THE FIVE STAGES OF SLEEP:
Sleep is divided into REM and non-REM types (8). Non-REM sleep consists of the lighter stages--stage 1 and stage 2--and a deep form of sleep known as Delta (or slow-wave) sleep, which comprises stages 3 and 4. Most of the first third of the night, non-REM delta sleep predominates. After about an hour and a half in most normal people, the first REM period begins, and this alternates with non-REM sleep throughout the night. Most people have 4-5 REM periods in a given night. It is not known whether REM or delta sleep is deeper, but it generally requires more stimulation to arouse the sleeper from delta sleep. As people sleep they go through five different stages. These stages are broken down separately because there are changes in your brain waves. About every 90-100 minutes people pass through all 5 stages.
· In stage one of the sleep cycle brain waves are referred to as theta waves. They consist of a 4-7 cycle per second rhythm. (Non-REM Sleep)
· In stage 2 of sleep, the brain generates sleep spindles. Spindles are a 12-14 rhythm that lasts a half of a second. Sleep talking usually occurs during stages 1 and 2 of sleep. Sleep talking is mumbled and usually not understandable. (Non-REM Sleep)
· Delta waves are produced from the brain in the third stage of sleep. These brain waves become slower when the sleep cycle begins. During this cycle your heart rate, blood pressure, and arousal decline. (Non-REM Sleep)
· Stage four is very similar to stage 3 because Delta waves continue in the brain. During this stage of sleep most dreams and nightmares occur. (Non-REM Sleep)
· In stage five your breathing becomes irregular and more rapid. Your heartbeat rises and your eyes dart around in a momentary burst of activity while your eyelids are closed. This is called REM sleep (REM Sleep)
Even though REM sleep is a much deeper sleep it is not shown to be any better than Non-REM sleep. The reason for this is our bodies need for both kinds of sleep in order to be fully rested. Without one the other would never be as effective (8).
FACTORS EFFECTING SLEEP:
Medications - Insomnia is a side effect of many common medications, including over-the-counter preparations that contain caffeine. People who suspect their medications are causing them to lose sleep should check with their physician. (9).
Alcohol - Alcohol suppresses deep sleep, produces sleep fragmentation, and relaxes the upper airway muscles, which worsens snoring and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Apart from its negative impact on sleep, alcohol reduces your intellectual performance, and should be avoided at times of highly creative effort! To a highly creative individual, alcohol poses a major health-vs-brain dilemma. Certainly, it should be avoided 3-5 hours before sleep and should be avoided before intellectual work.
If you drink yourself to sleep (e.g. after a stressful day), you should remember that alcohol is quickly metabolized, and will produce an acetaldehyde rebound effect that will greatly increase chances of waking up during the night. This effect keeps alcoholics up at nights, depriving them of REM sleep (6).
Caffeine - 90% of Americans use some form of caffeine to fight the feeling of drowsiness. Caffeine has a profound effect on the central nervous system by blocking adenosine receptors (5), which holds drowsiness at bay. Besides coffee, caffeine is found in soda as well as in chocolate and tea. It is addictive and acts, via similar channels, as amphetamines and cocaine.
As an arousal drug, caffeine may cause insomnia. Caffeine will suppress REM sleep and this is why it should never be taken 6-7 hours before sleep (caffeine's half-life is about 6 hours). Caffeine tends to drive many people into a vicious circle. You drink it, you get a boost in adrenaline, you feel more energetic, you get a boost in dopamine, you feel better, you feel you can stay up late, you sleep less, you are more sleepy on the next day. Shortly afterwards you will need more caffeine, due to down-regulation, to get the same energetic feeling and you will continue to increase the dosage.
CAN SLEEP INCREASE GROWTH HORMONE RELEASE?
Researchers at the University of Chicago found that the quality of men's sleep decreases with age along with the body's production of growth hormone. A lack of quality sleep may contribute to love handles and double chins. The drop in growth hormone, in turn, is thought to lead to flab, although the researchers did not specifically measure the effect on body composition. "We actually know that if we increase deep sleep, we can increase growth hormone," said Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine who led the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (13).
The study was limited to healthy men, and it is unclear whether the findings apply to women. Dr. Van Cauter and her team looked at sleep studies conducted on 149 men from 1985 to 1999. They found that by the time men reach age 45; they have nearly lost the ability to fall into deep sleep, which is when men primarily produce growth hormone. In studies of the elderly, growth hormone deficiency has been connected to obesity and the loss of muscle mass. The men involved in the sleep studies were of normal weight and ranged in age from 16 to 83. Researchers found that as the men moved into middle age, from 35 to 50, their total amount of sleep remained fairly constant. The study also found that after age 50, men's total amount of sleep declined by about 27 minutes a decade, with them waking more frequently throughout the night and staying awake for longer periods of time. REM sleep, associated with dreaming, also declined after age 50 to about 50 percent of a young man's level.
RECOVERY TIME NECESSARY AFTER EXERCISE:
How long does it take for the muscles to fully recover after an exhausting workout? Fatigued muscles do a poor job of protecting their associated connective tissues, increasing the risk of damage to bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Tired muscles provide inadequate support for tendons, ligaments, and bones, increasing the risk of strains, sprains, and stress fractures.
Recently, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted a study to determine how long muscle recovery takes. In their study, six healthy young men who regularly engaged in weight training, carried out four sets each of biceps, concentration, and preacher curls (12 sets in all), with three to four minutes of rest between sets. Resistance was set at 80 percent of maximum and each set consisted of as many reps as a subject could handle.
Based on this study and a previous investigation, the scientists determined that the rate of protein synthesis in muscles stressed by a hard workout increases by about 50 per cent four hours after the rugged workout is over, while the rate of synthesis in muscles not used during training remains unchanged. This is evidence that muscles are repairing damage accrued from the workout and perhaps building new structures to make themselves stronger and more fatigue-resistant in the future.
This repair process seems to peak about 24 hours after a workout, when muscle protein synthetic rate was up by a hefty 109 per cent in the McMaster-Washington research. However, the McMaster-Washington scientists found that about 36 hours after a rough workout, the building process is pretty much over, and the muscles are back to routine housekeeping. It's important to point out that this study was carried out with experienced weight trainers; novice lifters might have required a longer recovery process. Finally, there is undoubtedly variation between athletes. For example, although the average recovery time was 36 hours in the McMaster study, some individuals might be finished recovering just 30 hours after a similar workout, while others could take 40 to 48 hours. As you can see, lots of factors can interact to determine recovery time.
Recovery time reduces injury rates by providing muscles and connective tissues the necessary amount of time to rebuild and repair themselves between workouts. You should also remember that increases in training demand increases in resting too. Anytime your training volume increases by more than 2-3 per cent, you need to make sure that you're getting more sleep and taking more time to rest during the day. Without this rest your workouts will suffer and your body will never truly recover (7). It cannot be stressed enough, especially to the natural athlete--when you feel mentally or physically tired, take the day off.
KEYS TO RECOVERY:
The following tips may help promote recovery following your workout (6):
1. If you feel tired or sluggish on a particular day, don't train, or train at a minimal level of effort. Your body is telling you that it is still in the recovery process and an intense workout at this particular time will be counterproductive. If you have planned a workout, postpone it and carry it out the following day (as long as you feel fully recovered). To get the most out of your workout, two intense workouts back to back are usually as much as you should do without crossing over into the over-trained state.
2. To increase the number of quality workouts you carry out (i.e., to avoid spending too much time recovering), try to use the 36-hour principle. For example, you could perform an intense workout Tuesday morning, another Wednesday evening, and a third intense session Friday morning, thus fitting three tough sessions into a time frame which usually accommodates just two. You could then take Saturday off and complete a long workout on Sunday.
3. To jump-start recovery, make sure you replenish yourself with ample amounts of carbohydrate shortly after your training sessions.
4. Ultimately, you are the best judge of how well you are recovering between workouts. If you look forward to each week of training and approach your quality workouts with high energy and determination, you are recovering well, perhaps too well, but it is better to recover too well than to recover poorly (recovering too well means you could probably carry out your difficult workouts sooner than you usually do). If you are feeling tired during many of your weekly workouts and your performance times are a bit off, it's quite likely that you can improve your performances not by working harder but by increasing the quality and quantity of your recovery.
SLEEP TIPS:
"Sleep is incredibly important in the training process with its contribution to recovery," said Ian King, one of the top strength coaches in the world. King, who has coached professional and Olympic athletes since 1984, believes that sleep is an area still largely ignored. "In reality, it's a full-fledged member of what I call the training triangle - eating, training, and sleeping!" King said.
The following are tips from "the King" to help get a good night's sleep (14):
· Get as many hours before midnight as you can (there's an empirical belief that an hour before midnight is worth two hours of after midnight sleep).
· Get in a pattern of sleep - when you go to bed and when you get up. When you change this pattern, irrespective of whether you actually get more sleep, it can negatively affect the impact on recovery.
· Make your room dark and noise free - that means using dark curtains and closing windows and doors (but of course maintain appropriate room temperature!) Your sleep hormone release may be better in a darker environment.
· Engage in a relaxing activity before turning the lights out - there's nothing worse than going to bed fired up or overly excited. Some find a warm bath effective; whereas I find reading a book for 10-20 minutes helps me feel drowsy.
· Once the lights are out, stay on your back until you find you are about to go to sleep and then roll to one side.
· I do support the use of sleep inducers when you're struggling to go to sleep. I have found the following effective: melatonin, ZMA, and Usana Essentials pack. I use these if I work late and have only limited hours of sleep, or if I am in a new time zone and struggling to get back to sleep. If struggling to get to sleep, I recommend melatonin or prescription sleep inducers for no more than 3 nights in a row.
· Finally, if you use an alarm clock to wake up, your first few hours of the day aren't as "good" as they would be if you were in a pattern where the body woke up naturally.
A 1995 survey conducted by Bruskin/Goldring Research for the Better Sleep Council (BSC), surveyed 1,000 adults and found that few understand the important role sleep plays in normal, daily brain functions, and many actually short-circuit their brain power by getting too little sleep.
Neurological and sleep experts concur that sleep is essential for the brain to function optimally. However, BSC's survey reveals a disturbing finding. Although the majority of those polled report that their typical weekday requires mental alertness, one in three say they don't get enough sleep. What's more, 53 percent of respondents admit their mental capabilities suffer when they lose sleep (1). CONCLUSION:
People don't respect sleep enough," says Daniel O'Hearn, a sleep disorders specialist at Johns Hopkins University. "They feel they can do more--have more time for work and family--by allowing themselves less time for sleep. But they do sleep; they sleep at work, or driving to work." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 200,000 crashes each year involve drivers falling asleep at the wheel, and that thousands of Americans die in such accidents annually (4). Getting the proper amount of sleep is essential, especially if you are physically active. Along with a balanced diet and an intense exercise program, getting the right amount of sleep may be the last ingredient to help you decrease body fat or increase muscle mass and strength. Strive for seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Finally, without the proper amount of recovery and sleep, a training program designed by Joe Weider himself will yield little or no results.
This is a collection from many sites. Paraphrased by myself but paragraphs from other sites.
In pursuit of the perfect body, many people focus on things like workout routines and supplements, however, many fail to consider another vital component of training-recovery. Remember that training is the stimulus to which the body adapts, but sufficient rest is essential to allow time for the adaptations to take place.
With adequate sleep athletes run better, swim better, and lift more weight. Exercise may be one of the best ways to achieve healthy sleep. A recent study (9) noted that people with minor sleep disturbances improved after four months of brisk walking 30 minutes four times a week. Another study (9) also reported that sleep improved in a group of seniors who exercised regularly.
WHY YOU NEED ZZZZ'S:
Sleep, a state that occupies about one third of our lives, is as basic a need as food, and vital to physical well-being. The main role of sleep is to restore the body's energy supplies that have been depleted through the day's activities. Factors that may influence human sleep patterns include physical size, muscle mass, brain size, and current level of physical fitness (12). Research indicates that people with a very high level of physical and intellectual activity need more sleep to fully recuperate. With that in mind, it is reasonable to think that the higher your activity level, the more sleep you need to restore your capacities.
Physical labor seems to increase the need for sleep more than intellectual work, a combination of both leads to the greatest sleeping needs, probably due to the fatigue of several systems of the body simultaneously.
Much of what is known about sleep stems from the groundbreaking 1953 discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (10). This is an active period of sleep marked in humans by intense activity in the brain and rapid bursts of eye movements. At the same time, scientists discovered that REM sleep is when dreaming occurs.
Before the 1950s, most scientists thought of sleep as an unchanging, dormant period, and considered it of little interest to science. During this time little was known about sleep or dreaming.
The earliest hints that sleep was a changing state came with studies showing that blood pressure, heart rate, and other body functions in humans rise and fall in a pattern during sleep. Because researchers had observed some eye movement during sleep, they recorded these movements by placing electrodes behind the eyes. They also recorded muscle activity and brain waves. They found regular periods of very rapid eye movement and rapidly changing brain waves that alternated with periods of deep, quiet, sleep marked by large, slow brain waves. Later, scientists found that the body is paralyzed during REM sleep (10).
Lack of sleep has major implications for public health, safety, productivity, and well-being. Little is known of the function or the role sleep plays in health and disease. It has been estimated that more than 60 million Americans, or approximately one in three adults, experience inadequate sleep that can interfere with daily activities (3). Excess sleepiness has been associated with accidents at work or at home, and at least three percent of serious automobile accidents and fatalities are due to a fatigued driver (3).
Sleep deprivation also affects us physically. Insufficient rest greatly reduces your recovery capacity, and thus your capacity to do physical work. Athletes undergoing an intense training program should sleep at least 9-10 hours/night and adding a short nap right after training is optimal. Each year sleep disorders add $16 billion to national health-care costs (e.g. by contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease). This figure does not account for accidents and lost productivity at work. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimates that sleep deprivation costs $150 billion a year in higher stress and reduced workplace productivity (US, 1999). 40% of truck accidents are attributable to fatigue and drowsiness, and there is an 800% increase in single vehicle commercial truck accidents between midnight and 8 am. Major industrial disasters such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, have been attributed to sleep deprivation (5).
THE FIVE STAGES OF SLEEP:
Sleep is divided into REM and non-REM types (8). Non-REM sleep consists of the lighter stages--stage 1 and stage 2--and a deep form of sleep known as Delta (or slow-wave) sleep, which comprises stages 3 and 4. Most of the first third of the night, non-REM delta sleep predominates. After about an hour and a half in most normal people, the first REM period begins, and this alternates with non-REM sleep throughout the night. Most people have 4-5 REM periods in a given night. It is not known whether REM or delta sleep is deeper, but it generally requires more stimulation to arouse the sleeper from delta sleep. As people sleep they go through five different stages. These stages are broken down separately because there are changes in your brain waves. About every 90-100 minutes people pass through all 5 stages.
· In stage one of the sleep cycle brain waves are referred to as theta waves. They consist of a 4-7 cycle per second rhythm. (Non-REM Sleep)
· In stage 2 of sleep, the brain generates sleep spindles. Spindles are a 12-14 rhythm that lasts a half of a second. Sleep talking usually occurs during stages 1 and 2 of sleep. Sleep talking is mumbled and usually not understandable. (Non-REM Sleep)
· Delta waves are produced from the brain in the third stage of sleep. These brain waves become slower when the sleep cycle begins. During this cycle your heart rate, blood pressure, and arousal decline. (Non-REM Sleep)
· Stage four is very similar to stage 3 because Delta waves continue in the brain. During this stage of sleep most dreams and nightmares occur. (Non-REM Sleep)
· In stage five your breathing becomes irregular and more rapid. Your heartbeat rises and your eyes dart around in a momentary burst of activity while your eyelids are closed. This is called REM sleep (REM Sleep)
Even though REM sleep is a much deeper sleep it is not shown to be any better than Non-REM sleep. The reason for this is our bodies need for both kinds of sleep in order to be fully rested. Without one the other would never be as effective (8).
FACTORS EFFECTING SLEEP:
Medications - Insomnia is a side effect of many common medications, including over-the-counter preparations that contain caffeine. People who suspect their medications are causing them to lose sleep should check with their physician. (9).
Alcohol - Alcohol suppresses deep sleep, produces sleep fragmentation, and relaxes the upper airway muscles, which worsens snoring and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Apart from its negative impact on sleep, alcohol reduces your intellectual performance, and should be avoided at times of highly creative effort! To a highly creative individual, alcohol poses a major health-vs-brain dilemma. Certainly, it should be avoided 3-5 hours before sleep and should be avoided before intellectual work.
If you drink yourself to sleep (e.g. after a stressful day), you should remember that alcohol is quickly metabolized, and will produce an acetaldehyde rebound effect that will greatly increase chances of waking up during the night. This effect keeps alcoholics up at nights, depriving them of REM sleep (6).
Caffeine - 90% of Americans use some form of caffeine to fight the feeling of drowsiness. Caffeine has a profound effect on the central nervous system by blocking adenosine receptors (5), which holds drowsiness at bay. Besides coffee, caffeine is found in soda as well as in chocolate and tea. It is addictive and acts, via similar channels, as amphetamines and cocaine.
As an arousal drug, caffeine may cause insomnia. Caffeine will suppress REM sleep and this is why it should never be taken 6-7 hours before sleep (caffeine's half-life is about 6 hours). Caffeine tends to drive many people into a vicious circle. You drink it, you get a boost in adrenaline, you feel more energetic, you get a boost in dopamine, you feel better, you feel you can stay up late, you sleep less, you are more sleepy on the next day. Shortly afterwards you will need more caffeine, due to down-regulation, to get the same energetic feeling and you will continue to increase the dosage.
CAN SLEEP INCREASE GROWTH HORMONE RELEASE?
Researchers at the University of Chicago found that the quality of men's sleep decreases with age along with the body's production of growth hormone. A lack of quality sleep may contribute to love handles and double chins. The drop in growth hormone, in turn, is thought to lead to flab, although the researchers did not specifically measure the effect on body composition. "We actually know that if we increase deep sleep, we can increase growth hormone," said Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine who led the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (13).
The study was limited to healthy men, and it is unclear whether the findings apply to women. Dr. Van Cauter and her team looked at sleep studies conducted on 149 men from 1985 to 1999. They found that by the time men reach age 45; they have nearly lost the ability to fall into deep sleep, which is when men primarily produce growth hormone. In studies of the elderly, growth hormone deficiency has been connected to obesity and the loss of muscle mass. The men involved in the sleep studies were of normal weight and ranged in age from 16 to 83. Researchers found that as the men moved into middle age, from 35 to 50, their total amount of sleep remained fairly constant. The study also found that after age 50, men's total amount of sleep declined by about 27 minutes a decade, with them waking more frequently throughout the night and staying awake for longer periods of time. REM sleep, associated with dreaming, also declined after age 50 to about 50 percent of a young man's level.
RECOVERY TIME NECESSARY AFTER EXERCISE:
How long does it take for the muscles to fully recover after an exhausting workout? Fatigued muscles do a poor job of protecting their associated connective tissues, increasing the risk of damage to bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Tired muscles provide inadequate support for tendons, ligaments, and bones, increasing the risk of strains, sprains, and stress fractures.
Recently, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted a study to determine how long muscle recovery takes. In their study, six healthy young men who regularly engaged in weight training, carried out four sets each of biceps, concentration, and preacher curls (12 sets in all), with three to four minutes of rest between sets. Resistance was set at 80 percent of maximum and each set consisted of as many reps as a subject could handle.
Based on this study and a previous investigation, the scientists determined that the rate of protein synthesis in muscles stressed by a hard workout increases by about 50 per cent four hours after the rugged workout is over, while the rate of synthesis in muscles not used during training remains unchanged. This is evidence that muscles are repairing damage accrued from the workout and perhaps building new structures to make themselves stronger and more fatigue-resistant in the future.
This repair process seems to peak about 24 hours after a workout, when muscle protein synthetic rate was up by a hefty 109 per cent in the McMaster-Washington research. However, the McMaster-Washington scientists found that about 36 hours after a rough workout, the building process is pretty much over, and the muscles are back to routine housekeeping. It's important to point out that this study was carried out with experienced weight trainers; novice lifters might have required a longer recovery process. Finally, there is undoubtedly variation between athletes. For example, although the average recovery time was 36 hours in the McMaster study, some individuals might be finished recovering just 30 hours after a similar workout, while others could take 40 to 48 hours. As you can see, lots of factors can interact to determine recovery time.
Recovery time reduces injury rates by providing muscles and connective tissues the necessary amount of time to rebuild and repair themselves between workouts. You should also remember that increases in training demand increases in resting too. Anytime your training volume increases by more than 2-3 per cent, you need to make sure that you're getting more sleep and taking more time to rest during the day. Without this rest your workouts will suffer and your body will never truly recover (7). It cannot be stressed enough, especially to the natural athlete--when you feel mentally or physically tired, take the day off.
KEYS TO RECOVERY:
The following tips may help promote recovery following your workout (6):
1. If you feel tired or sluggish on a particular day, don't train, or train at a minimal level of effort. Your body is telling you that it is still in the recovery process and an intense workout at this particular time will be counterproductive. If you have planned a workout, postpone it and carry it out the following day (as long as you feel fully recovered). To get the most out of your workout, two intense workouts back to back are usually as much as you should do without crossing over into the over-trained state.
2. To increase the number of quality workouts you carry out (i.e., to avoid spending too much time recovering), try to use the 36-hour principle. For example, you could perform an intense workout Tuesday morning, another Wednesday evening, and a third intense session Friday morning, thus fitting three tough sessions into a time frame which usually accommodates just two. You could then take Saturday off and complete a long workout on Sunday.
3. To jump-start recovery, make sure you replenish yourself with ample amounts of carbohydrate shortly after your training sessions.
4. Ultimately, you are the best judge of how well you are recovering between workouts. If you look forward to each week of training and approach your quality workouts with high energy and determination, you are recovering well, perhaps too well, but it is better to recover too well than to recover poorly (recovering too well means you could probably carry out your difficult workouts sooner than you usually do). If you are feeling tired during many of your weekly workouts and your performance times are a bit off, it's quite likely that you can improve your performances not by working harder but by increasing the quality and quantity of your recovery.
SLEEP TIPS:
"Sleep is incredibly important in the training process with its contribution to recovery," said Ian King, one of the top strength coaches in the world. King, who has coached professional and Olympic athletes since 1984, believes that sleep is an area still largely ignored. "In reality, it's a full-fledged member of what I call the training triangle - eating, training, and sleeping!" King said.
The following are tips from "the King" to help get a good night's sleep (14):
· Get as many hours before midnight as you can (there's an empirical belief that an hour before midnight is worth two hours of after midnight sleep).
· Get in a pattern of sleep - when you go to bed and when you get up. When you change this pattern, irrespective of whether you actually get more sleep, it can negatively affect the impact on recovery.
· Make your room dark and noise free - that means using dark curtains and closing windows and doors (but of course maintain appropriate room temperature!) Your sleep hormone release may be better in a darker environment.
· Engage in a relaxing activity before turning the lights out - there's nothing worse than going to bed fired up or overly excited. Some find a warm bath effective; whereas I find reading a book for 10-20 minutes helps me feel drowsy.
· Once the lights are out, stay on your back until you find you are about to go to sleep and then roll to one side.
· I do support the use of sleep inducers when you're struggling to go to sleep. I have found the following effective: melatonin, ZMA, and Usana Essentials pack. I use these if I work late and have only limited hours of sleep, or if I am in a new time zone and struggling to get back to sleep. If struggling to get to sleep, I recommend melatonin or prescription sleep inducers for no more than 3 nights in a row.
· Finally, if you use an alarm clock to wake up, your first few hours of the day aren't as "good" as they would be if you were in a pattern where the body woke up naturally.
A 1995 survey conducted by Bruskin/Goldring Research for the Better Sleep Council (BSC), surveyed 1,000 adults and found that few understand the important role sleep plays in normal, daily brain functions, and many actually short-circuit their brain power by getting too little sleep.
Neurological and sleep experts concur that sleep is essential for the brain to function optimally. However, BSC's survey reveals a disturbing finding. Although the majority of those polled report that their typical weekday requires mental alertness, one in three say they don't get enough sleep. What's more, 53 percent of respondents admit their mental capabilities suffer when they lose sleep (1). CONCLUSION:
People don't respect sleep enough," says Daniel O'Hearn, a sleep disorders specialist at Johns Hopkins University. "They feel they can do more--have more time for work and family--by allowing themselves less time for sleep. But they do sleep; they sleep at work, or driving to work." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 200,000 crashes each year involve drivers falling asleep at the wheel, and that thousands of Americans die in such accidents annually (4). Getting the proper amount of sleep is essential, especially if you are physically active. Along with a balanced diet and an intense exercise program, getting the right amount of sleep may be the last ingredient to help you decrease body fat or increase muscle mass and strength. Strive for seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Finally, without the proper amount of recovery and sleep, a training program designed by Joe Weider himself will yield little or no results.
Finally, It looks like I'm rollin out
After all the snafu's I'm finally booked for tomorrows trip across the pond. It's weird for me to say this but I have actually felt guilty the past few days being stuck here when I should have been there. Oh well I guess.
So for those of you who don't have the chance to see this, there are some very vast differences between a military gym and a civilian gym. Most differences come from the funny shit you will see there. I've witnessed some crazy ass exercises in the last few yrs. With the USAF's over emphasis on PT and how fitness trumps the mission people go to such crazy lengths to get an edge. I've read of saran wrap and Preparation-H, liposuction, ex-lax etc. The exercises are even better. I often laugh and SMH saying wtf? Today a young sailor here in this gym was doping tricep rope push downs except the weight was too heavy so he would jump up and use his body weight to get it started. Now I'm all for cheat reps and forced reps. In fact I think they do help break plateaus but this was ridiculous lol. Well on to today's lift. I lacked all motivation today, I dunno why I just could not get into it. Its funny how powerful the mind is. Today I focused soley on shoulders and traps which are consistent weak points and often injured points for me.
Again focusing on volume and little rest.
Military Barbell Press. 135 x10 6 sets after warm up
DB shrugs supersetted with DB lateral raises 10 reps each 60lb DB and 30lb DB respectively 5 sets total
DB front Raises supersetted with DB reverse Fly's 25lb DB 12 reps front 8 reps back 5 sets
More DB shrugs 70lbs front and back emphasis x 6 reps 3 more sets
Rotator cuff work 20lb dbs 15 sets each exercise 5 sets.
The only thing I do not like about these lifts is with little rest between sets you blaze through this and should be out of the gym within an hour. Now for personally I love it because I am naturally impatient and do not have the time that some folks have spending hrs in the gym. I want to be in and out. However I need to adapt to my new location where the only thing to do is Lift and work for the next 6 months. It will be hard mentally for me to keep up in focus after 1 hr in there. I just have no idea how someone cal lift for an hr plus than do cardio. I guess I better learn.
So for those of you who don't have the chance to see this, there are some very vast differences between a military gym and a civilian gym. Most differences come from the funny shit you will see there. I've witnessed some crazy ass exercises in the last few yrs. With the USAF's over emphasis on PT and how fitness trumps the mission people go to such crazy lengths to get an edge. I've read of saran wrap and Preparation-H, liposuction, ex-lax etc. The exercises are even better. I often laugh and SMH saying wtf? Today a young sailor here in this gym was doping tricep rope push downs except the weight was too heavy so he would jump up and use his body weight to get it started. Now I'm all for cheat reps and forced reps. In fact I think they do help break plateaus but this was ridiculous lol. Well on to today's lift. I lacked all motivation today, I dunno why I just could not get into it. Its funny how powerful the mind is. Today I focused soley on shoulders and traps which are consistent weak points and often injured points for me.
Again focusing on volume and little rest.
Military Barbell Press. 135 x10 6 sets after warm up
DB shrugs supersetted with DB lateral raises 10 reps each 60lb DB and 30lb DB respectively 5 sets total
DB front Raises supersetted with DB reverse Fly's 25lb DB 12 reps front 8 reps back 5 sets
More DB shrugs 70lbs front and back emphasis x 6 reps 3 more sets
Rotator cuff work 20lb dbs 15 sets each exercise 5 sets.
The only thing I do not like about these lifts is with little rest between sets you blaze through this and should be out of the gym within an hour. Now for personally I love it because I am naturally impatient and do not have the time that some folks have spending hrs in the gym. I want to be in and out. However I need to adapt to my new location where the only thing to do is Lift and work for the next 6 months. It will be hard mentally for me to keep up in focus after 1 hr in there. I just have no idea how someone cal lift for an hr plus than do cardio. I guess I better learn.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
All Aboard the fail boat. CHOO CHOO
Boredom is not the word I can use to describe the last few days. I woke up sore as hell. I missed it hahah. Today I tackled back and tri's. Again I chose to go volume to get myself back into a routine. It so sad when the highlight of my day was proving my point that this country cannot convict a pretty girl of murder lol. Anywho on to todays lift.
Lat Pulldowns Wide grip 120x12 130x12 140x8 continuous no stop Right to a reverse grip lat pulldown 140x6
I performed this 2 more times
Close grip Machine rows. 120 x 15 4 sets
Straight Arm Pulldowns 55 x 12 3 sets
Bodyweight Pull ups 3 sets of 5
Bent over 2 handed DB rows 55lbs each hand sets of 8 3 times
Tri's
Straight bar over hand pushdowns
100x10 110 x10 1120 x8 130x8 no rest straight to a reverse grip pull down 130x6
I performed this 4 times total
Single Overhead tricep extensions 50x12 4 sets Underhand grips 25x15 4 sets
Cable kickbacks 30lbs x 12 4 sets
At this point my arms hurt so bad it was bordering on bad pain not good so I called it a day right there and went to eat a big bowl of rice and orange chicken. I certainly hope to hear something soon on my rotator Im bored off my ass here in Norfolk
Lat Pulldowns Wide grip 120x12 130x12 140x8 continuous no stop Right to a reverse grip lat pulldown 140x6
I performed this 2 more times
Close grip Machine rows. 120 x 15 4 sets
Straight Arm Pulldowns 55 x 12 3 sets
Bodyweight Pull ups 3 sets of 5
Bent over 2 handed DB rows 55lbs each hand sets of 8 3 times
Tri's
Straight bar over hand pushdowns
100x10 110 x10 1120 x8 130x8 no rest straight to a reverse grip pull down 130x6
I performed this 4 times total
Single Overhead tricep extensions 50x12 4 sets Underhand grips 25x15 4 sets
Cable kickbacks 30lbs x 12 4 sets
At this point my arms hurt so bad it was bordering on bad pain not good so I called it a day right there and went to eat a big bowl of rice and orange chicken. I certainly hope to hear something soon on my rotator Im bored off my ass here in Norfolk
Monday, July 4, 2011
Not the start I was hoping for.
As I type right now I should be in the AOR. However I am here at Norfolk NS until Thursday. Through a combo of the ticketing office ticketing me for the wrong day, to the folks who cut the orders not loading me on to the mission this has been a nightmare. SO here I sit for the next 4 days in this room waiting for the next rotator. I have not been to the gym in 3 weeks. I took some time for family, relaxing, and to heal up some nagging injuries. SO this morning I woke and went walking around this enormous base looking for a gym. It was much needed. The amount of stress on me has been unreal. To finally get back on the iron was something I had longed for. I planned on starting out using the Quantum body method. However today I followed similar principles yet took it easy to get back into the routine. It felt great, alot of soreness was gone however so was my strength. I worked a lot of volume, with light rest. Really getting a full pump, i left 1.5 hrs later feeling refreshed. I took a walk over to the NEX here which is what I can only describe as an enormous mall. Its easily 5 times the size of our BX ( for you civilians its basically a walmart on base.
No supplements yet, everything is packed. So I did chest and Bi's today. Again a ton of volume as the goal was just pump.
Incline Machine press 125 x 15 140x12 150x12 125x20
Flat Barbell bench 205lbs x10 4 sets
Incline DB flies 40lb X 8 for 3 sets
1 Giant set of High middle and Low cable flies 15 reps each
Bi's
Easy Bar curl 50lbs x 15 6 sets
dual hammer curl with Db's 45x8 4 sets
Machine curls single hand 30lbs x 12 3 sets each side
Great volume and great blood flow. Went for a 2 mile walk afterwards the weather is pretty nice here and its weird not seeing palm trees everywhere. Gonna hit the books and do some homework. Will take beginning pictures of progress when I finally land this week.
No supplements yet, everything is packed. So I did chest and Bi's today. Again a ton of volume as the goal was just pump.
Incline Machine press 125 x 15 140x12 150x12 125x20
Flat Barbell bench 205lbs x10 4 sets
Incline DB flies 40lb X 8 for 3 sets
1 Giant set of High middle and Low cable flies 15 reps each
Bi's
Easy Bar curl 50lbs x 15 6 sets
dual hammer curl with Db's 45x8 4 sets
Machine curls single hand 30lbs x 12 3 sets each side
Great volume and great blood flow. Went for a 2 mile walk afterwards the weather is pretty nice here and its weird not seeing palm trees everywhere. Gonna hit the books and do some homework. Will take beginning pictures of progress when I finally land this week.
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