tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144636732024-03-18T03:28:33.187-04:00Relaxed FocusRob Pughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18355643989278053777noreply@blogger.comBlogger1124915tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14463673.post-70804551858265304952024-01-01T23:54:00.000-05:002024-01-01T23:54:48.805-05:00Reading 2023<p style="text-align: center;">AMOK: A Dox Thriller by Barry Eisler</p><p style="text-align: center;">No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories by Lee Child </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.by Nicholas Meyer</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin</p><p style="text-align: center;">Body for Life by Bill Phillips</p><p style="text-align: center;">Plague of Strength’s Bite-Size History V1 by Jamie Lewis</p><p style="text-align: center;">America and Japan: Two Countries Meet by Jack Seward</p><p style="text-align: center;">Finally Fit at 50 by G. Porter Freeman</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Last Orphan: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz</p><p style="text-align: center;">Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik</p><p style="text-align: center;">Westside Connection by Jamie Lewis</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Training Secrets of John Grimek by Brooks Kubik</p><p style="text-align: center;">Never Let Go by Dan John</p><p style="text-align: center;">A Lifelong Approach to Fitness: A Collection of Dan John Lectures Kindle Edition by Dan John</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Perfect Assassin: A Doc Savage Thriller by James Patterson and Brian Sitts</p><p style="text-align: center;">Five Years After: A John Matherson Novel by William R. Forstchen </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Puppet Show (Washintgton Poe Book 1) by M. W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">Black Summer (Washington Poe Book 2) by M. W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Curator (Washington Poe Book 3) by M.W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">It Works by Roy Herbert Jarrett</p><p style="text-align: center;">Reframe Your Brain: The User Interface for Happiness and Success by Scott Adams </p><p style="text-align: center;">How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - Second Edition - by Scott Adams</p><p style="text-align: center;">Easy Strength Omnibook by Dan John</p><p style="text-align: center;">Dead Ground (Washington Poe Book 4) by M.W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Botanist (Washington Poe Book 5) by M.W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">Monster Hunters Memoirs: Fever by Larry Correia and Jason Cordova</p><p style="text-align: center;">Radical Love by Zachary Levi</p><p style="text-align: center;">Robert B. Parker's Broken Trust (A Spenser Novel) by Mike Lupica</p><p style="text-align: center;">Fearless by M.W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Momentum Theorem by Dave Ramsey</p><p style="text-align: center;">Redefining Anxiety by John Delony</p><p style="text-align: center;">Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Secret - A Jack Reacher Novel - by Lee Child and Andrew Child</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Lucas Davenport Series by John Sandford, Books 1-5, Rules of Prey, Shadow Prey, Eyes of Prey, Silent Prey, Winter Prey</p><p style="text-align: center;">Night Owl by Andrew Mayne</p><p style="text-align: center;">Born in a Burial Gown (Avison Fluke #1) by M.W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">Body Breaker (Avison Fluke) by M. W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">-----</p><p style="text-align: center;">Lazarus Vol. 6: Fracture by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark</p><p style="text-align: center;">Department of Truth, Volume 4: The Ministry of Lies by James Tynion IV & Martin Simmonds </p><p style="text-align: center;">Lazarus, Volume 7 Fracture II by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark</p><p style="text-align: center;">Nemesis: Reloaded by Mark Millar, Jorge Jimenez </p><p style="text-align: center;">All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder by Frank Miller and Jim Lee</p><p style="text-align: center;">Green Arrow: Archer's Quest by Brad Meltzer and Phil Hester</p><p style="text-align: center;">Wolverine, Deluxe Edition by Chris Claremont , Frank Miller</p><p style="text-align: center;">Superman/Batman: Absolute Power by Jeph Loeb , Carlos Pacheco</p><p style="text-align: center;">Superman/Batman: Public Enemies by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness </p><p style="text-align: center;">Power & Glory by Howard Chaykin</p><p style="text-align: center;">Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye Vol. 1: Going Underground by Gerard Way, Jon Rivera, Michael Avon Oeming</p><p style="text-align: center;">Wolverine: Enemy of the State by Mark Millar , John Romita Jr.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis by Warren Ellis and Kaare Andrews</p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman/Superman World's Finest: The Devil Nezha by Mark Waid, Dan Mora</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Waiting Place: The Definitive Edition Paperback by Sean McKeever (Author), Mike Norton (Illustrator), Brendon Fraim (Illustrator), Brian Fraim (Illustrator), David Yurkovich (Illustrator)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Junkyard Joe, Volume 1 by Geoff Johns (Author), Gary Frank (Artist)</p><p style="text-align: center;">PUNISHER PRESENTS: BARRACUDA MAX by Garth Ennis (Author)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Kick-Ass: The New Girl Volume 1 by Mark Millar (Author), John Romita Jr. (Artist)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Kick-Ass: The New Girl Volume 2 by Steve Niles (Author), Marcelo Frusin (Artist)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Down by Warren Ellis (Author), Tony Harris (Artist), Cully Hamner (Artist)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Flashpoint by Geoff Johns (Author), Andy Kubert (Illustrator)</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Chosen One: The American Jesus Trilogy by Mark Millar (Author), Peter Gross </p><p style="text-align: center;">Geiger, Volume 1 by Geoff Johns (Author), Gary Frank (Artist), Brad Anderson (Artist)</p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman: Creature of the Night by Kurt Busiek (Author), John Paul Leon (Illustrator)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekR2toDxUGhFQwt__NCv2yOC-iGg-ds0Fq9tB3ljFxFgTt2PBWTLniL76f2Bc8M1RkkWBb9o7qU_269WtL8i5HRdh4Llmg2_WY1ZxSMBb1oQ1QiM1aOGp1ZYNHoRYvQ77nxeqju_PHa8QfV00XORR77nsCvYKova7860wvwqcfNfGtxU8tk7N/s680/GAme2SGWIAAU-nI.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="655" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekR2toDxUGhFQwt__NCv2yOC-iGg-ds0Fq9tB3ljFxFgTt2PBWTLniL76f2Bc8M1RkkWBb9o7qU_269WtL8i5HRdh4Llmg2_WY1ZxSMBb1oQ1QiM1aOGp1ZYNHoRYvQ77nxeqju_PHa8QfV00XORR77nsCvYKova7860wvwqcfNfGtxU8tk7N/w616-h640/GAme2SGWIAAU-nI.jpeg" width="616" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Rob Pughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18355643989278053777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14463673.post-39796718914631102712023-08-05T13:48:00.001-04:002023-08-05T13:48:27.565-04:00the masculine urge...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxQxQLtw8q8v2KrCwNJ8Er6J1MdYOWwPMC3zJWvF68Z4D0psmX5aiMJGdYwUti0tiZ7MrrFJnA018UKgv8nKzgFbUBX4cL7PiTQMC-EBroQ6Etw3jCnL2ySgxu7Pu_7VS-xAGJuWUz9T7sZFC6oejxeb60Mz3tg1HnKwEDFdGud2kyMxkgiOB/s680/F2b7zArWEAAdDxi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxQxQLtw8q8v2KrCwNJ8Er6J1MdYOWwPMC3zJWvF68Z4D0psmX5aiMJGdYwUti0tiZ7MrrFJnA018UKgv8nKzgFbUBX4cL7PiTQMC-EBroQ6Etw3jCnL2ySgxu7Pu_7VS-xAGJuWUz9T7sZFC6oejxeb60Mz3tg1HnKwEDFdGud2kyMxkgiOB/s16000/F2b7zArWEAAdDxi.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9-Ds0AoO5ZJpJTr92tuDjwUanRKHd7BGWU6UazXzDiP9S8m0RvWuzaQ80bhhk93QrwJS6g8quzUCcPmFAX4UQz_QbEFCA9HnmGatQKGE363pmcGMQBg9rwilF7_AIN1mCM8bxisyQ1QWRNKQtT4my7s4q0lyLVz9EA3Ex6eNvKdFD-tNvNlv/s680/F2inHXIawAAxYAS.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="680" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9-Ds0AoO5ZJpJTr92tuDjwUanRKHd7BGWU6UazXzDiP9S8m0RvWuzaQ80bhhk93QrwJS6g8quzUCcPmFAX4UQz_QbEFCA9HnmGatQKGE363pmcGMQBg9rwilF7_AIN1mCM8bxisyQ1QWRNKQtT4my7s4q0lyLVz9EA3Ex6eNvKdFD-tNvNlv/w400-h356/F2inHXIawAAxYAS.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbkov5jTRJtYNWFuTZsdf-26Y3XETKowuSHTgaKGxgDGx7K1ualr8oSSroq-LQXCssHU4fqjAPST5WTJU8M0L75LJrLVE6oIji36oBP3kzVk2lFVrKla2h4cV2kPb6bfRiBb74sd1EIVeVyGvS_tRXsYH84_yr5ha3y_lj10E2ijwPFuAdMu1/s609/20230805_065145-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="609" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbkov5jTRJtYNWFuTZsdf-26Y3XETKowuSHTgaKGxgDGx7K1ualr8oSSroq-LQXCssHU4fqjAPST5WTJU8M0L75LJrLVE6oIji36oBP3kzVk2lFVrKla2h4cV2kPb6bfRiBb74sd1EIVeVyGvS_tRXsYH84_yr5ha3y_lj10E2ijwPFuAdMu1/w640-h640/20230805_065145-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Rob Pughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18355643989278053777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14463673.post-60095748511651041202023-01-01T16:00:00.001-05:002023-01-01T16:00:23.872-05:00Reading 2022<p style="text-align: center;">Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual Mk1-MOD1 by Jocko Willink </p><p style="text-align: center;">Redemption (Ryan Drake Book One) by Will Jordan</p><p style="text-align: center;">Knee Ability Zero by Ben Patrick</p><p style="text-align: center;">Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit: The True Story of my Spiritual Quest by Dan Millman</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Robert B. Parker's Bye Bye Baby (Spenser Book 50) by Ace Atkins </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Behind the Mask: My Autobiography by Tyson Fury </p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPukbxuRySSgxkNDHGDhiONuMAM2wHUcANef4_AMAgZHf2AGhQSb34sKGvfiubf-5rXx1iS20KQ709LqPZ-1CCMubJ86F1VpzcKw62oaWEXNcVdktQQgM98kDlyd6a91mh2Tb_mWmNTGMEYwBs71Mj2kY4wpch8aWS35KEImpwYOJ-SXfaA/s752/Well-Played-Mysteries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPukbxuRySSgxkNDHGDhiONuMAM2wHUcANef4_AMAgZHf2AGhQSb34sKGvfiubf-5rXx1iS20KQ709LqPZ-1CCMubJ86F1VpzcKw62oaWEXNcVdktQQgM98kDlyd6a91mh2Tb_mWmNTGMEYwBs71Mj2kY4wpch8aWS35KEImpwYOJ-SXfaA/w300-h400/Well-Played-Mysteries.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Demolition Man by Richard Osborne</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Probability Broach by L. Neil Smith</p><p style="text-align: center;">Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga by Benjamin Lorr </p><p style="text-align: center;">The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance by Tom Brady</p><p style="text-align: center;">Dark Horse: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz </p><p style="text-align: center;">Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales by Penn Jillette </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity by Carlo M. Cipolla</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Size of Your Dreams: A Novel that Transforms Lives by Dave Mason and Chana Mason</p><p style="text-align: center;">Baby Steps Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth-- and How You Can Too by Dave Ramsey</p><p style="text-align: center;">Colonel Sanders and the American Dream by Josh Ozersky</p><p style="text-align: center;">Monster Hunter Bloodlines (Monster Hunters International Book 8) Larry Correia</p><p style="text-align: center;">Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditation for Extraordinary Performance by Emily Fletcher </p><p style="text-align: center;">Better Off Dead: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child and Andrew Child</p><p style="text-align: center;">Killing Floor by Lee Child</p><p style="text-align: center;">Monster Hunter Nemesis by Larry Correia</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Lightning Rod: A Zig and Nola Novel by Brad Meltzer</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Cutting Season by M.W. Craven</p><p style="text-align: center;">Doctor Ice Pick by Claire Prentice</p><p style="text-align: center;">Chemical Pink by Katie Arnoldi </p><p style="text-align: center;">Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others by Zachary Levi </p><p style="text-align: center;">Zero Negativity: The Power of Positive Thinking by Ant Middleton</p><p style="text-align: center;">You2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness by Price Pritchett</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Last Moriarty (A Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery) by Charles Veley </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Toynbee Convector by Ray Bradbury</p><p style="text-align: center;">No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child</p><p style="text-align: center;">--</p><p style="text-align: center;">Prodigy Volume 1: The Evil Earth by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque</p><p style="text-align: center;">Nemesis by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven </p><p style="text-align: center;">DC's Greatest Detective Stories Ever Told by Various </p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman vs. Deathstroke by Christopher Priest & Carlo Pagulayan </p><p style="text-align: center;">Black Summer by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp</p><p style="text-align: center;">Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette</p><p style="text-align: center;">One Bad Day by Steve Rolston </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Mystery Play: A Graphic Novel by Grant Morrison & Jon J. Muth </p><p style="text-align: center;">Wild Children by Ales Kot and Riley Rossmo</p><p style="text-align: center;">Secret by Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Bodenheim, et al.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Kill Your Boyfriend by Grant Morrison, Philip Bond</p><p style="text-align: center;">Planet of the Capes by Larry Young and Brandon McKinney</p><p style="text-align: center;">Yoga Joe by Dan Abramson and Chris Mead. Illustrated by PK Olson</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Order Vol. 1: The Next Right Thing by Matt Fraction and Barry Kitson</p><p style="text-align: center;">Nowhere Men Volume 1: Fates Worse Than Death by Eric Stephenson , Nate Bellegarde, et al.</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Tithe Vol. 2 by Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal</p><p style="text-align: center;">Leaving Megalopolis by Gail Simone, Jim Calafiore</p><p style="text-align: center;">Holmes by Omaha Perez</p><p style="text-align: center;">Captain Carrot and the Final Ark Paperback by Bill Morrison, Roy Thomas, Scott Shaw </p><p style="text-align: center;">Badlands by Steven Grant, Vince Giarrano </p><p style="text-align: center;">Absolute Authority Vol. 1 & 2 by Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch </p><p style="text-align: center;">Doc Savage: The Silver Pyramid by Dennis O'Neil, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert </p><p style="text-align: center;">Challengers of the Unknown: Stolen Moments, Borrowed Time Paperback by Howard Chaykin </p><p style="text-align: center;">Checkmate (Event Leviathan) by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev </p><p style="text-align: center;">Event Leviathan Paperback by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev </p><p style="text-align: center;">U.S.Agent: The Good Fight by Various</p><p style="text-align: center;">Animal Man 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Book One & Two by Grant Morrison (Author), Chas Truog</p><p style="text-align: center;">Absolute Batman Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli</p>Rob Pughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18355643989278053777noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14463673.post-72845675468360226182022-02-11T07:44:00.001-05:002022-02-11T08:01:46.288-05:00four months to undo a bad year<p style="text-align: center;">Fall '20 to '21 was just a broken train wreck of a dumpster fire of a year.</p><p style="text-align: center;">So I fixed it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjh-X6YK11GdgUsXJx8RVKP7EmhmwGFWSS1Ib6fWfDHL6SWD6PTmR7yDf2vAYrnuN2BylvXW52YnqJFHa7-ww8gXvptb8zkLU1FqxnEBSo8SpEjguoB9_uWSL95OdHxv__iijPwvFgbmsTddf4m8QSPGlC1hx-9Y4JbSyGkByD4EZOJnCCfgA=s1012" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1012" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjh-X6YK11GdgUsXJx8RVKP7EmhmwGFWSS1Ib6fWfDHL6SWD6PTmR7yDf2vAYrnuN2BylvXW52YnqJFHa7-ww8gXvptb8zkLU1FqxnEBSo8SpEjguoB9_uWSL95OdHxv__iijPwvFgbmsTddf4m8QSPGlC1hx-9Y4JbSyGkByD4EZOJnCCfgA=w640-h390" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Starting the end of September/beginning of October, finishing up this block of training the second week of February. Closer to 4.5 months, to be accurate, but there were fits and starts. Undid most of the damage and lost 25lbs by the end of November. Another 9 the next month. And 3 more since. Starting to plateau, but that should get a kick in the ass as I finish up the current training template and change things up and tweak things a bit. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Results/Metrics: Weight from 9/27/21 to 2/11/22, 215 to 178. Puts me back at the weight I was in my five years in the military, age 21-25 (holy moly, over 20 years ago,) 175-185lbs. Weight, in general, not a great marker to track, honestly. The scale is a deceitful bitch. Within the course of a day, depending on the amount I ate or drank, sodium intake, etc weight could fluctuate 5lbs. Inside of a week I've seen 8lb swings, in both directions. But tracking the general trend line, taking the measure the same time every day - I do it first thing in AM after waking up - gives a good sense of the direction you're moving. If the previous day was on point or a clusterfuck. Waist measurement 36 to 32. And regular progress pics are really useful. Seeing objectively that you don't look still look like the overstuffed trash bag of garbage you've been picturing yourself as in your head is a good thing. The before/after bit in the above photo is 10/5 to 2/11. Plus the Robb Wolf metric, to paraphrase - "Do the thing, and see how you look, feel and perform." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhk-Fk505CKGEfSC5RsSI4Z5ikDYAgtwC_lk3SOhmugf7Z0pg7An5IGcvQvxe8OO-tJKpSF2Xyys8GsO9dPHPGN8oqEDQdln5MvXtdWZrMtc4QexwHr9ZohSXHAAHkTxgWLNUaLyhVt7ODhFsGOdEuVsiwh_enXFwR1sNvG_axjndtvtaOblg=s617" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhk-Fk505CKGEfSC5RsSI4Z5ikDYAgtwC_lk3SOhmugf7Z0pg7An5IGcvQvxe8OO-tJKpSF2Xyys8GsO9dPHPGN8oqEDQdln5MvXtdWZrMtc4QexwHr9ZohSXHAAHkTxgWLNUaLyhVt7ODhFsGOdEuVsiwh_enXFwR1sNvG_axjndtvtaOblg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The easy excuse for everybody the last couple years is COVID. But really, I did well during the first year or so of that whole debacle. Nutrition wasn't on point, but I was training fairly consistently, working on hypertrophy but getting a little fluffy ('dirty bulking' is such an easy, and bullshit, idea/excuse) walking around at about 200lbs or so. </p><p style="text-align: center;">What really got me off the rails was... well, life. Moving overseas again, quarantine, medevac back to the USA for what was ultimately a big nothing (get your salt and electrolytes, kids - idiopathic syncope, indeed) living out of a hotel for about a month, back overseas again, quarantine again, figuring out a new country, waiting for and then unpacking all our household goods, the holidays, then the flood on Easter, cleanup, temp housing for 3 months, moving back into our old place... those are actually much better excuses than the nuttiness that is and was Covid. But that's all they are. Excuses. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The only real truth is I got lazy, undisciplined and made bad choices.</p><p style="text-align: center;">So around September, looking ahead to my birthday the next month, it was time to change direction and stop being an asshole. (When the occasional person asked me what my diet was, I told them it was the "'Stop Eating Like A Childish Asshole' Diet.'" Truth in comedy.)</p><p style="text-align: center;">I'd run some of the Beachbody, bunch of the P90X and Body Beast programs in the past when I needed to kickstart - and those all work great, particularly for home workouts (if access to a gym/barbells, some version of Wendler's 5/3/1 is my go-to move. Sadly, haven't done barbell work in over 2 yrs. I miss real deadlifts.) - but I wasn't feeling it at the time. I needed something with a bit more flexibility and allowed more choice and autonomy. So when roaming the vast expanses of the internet one day I came across the 75 Hard challenge. That clicked. A template, a set of guidelines, but there was a bunch of choice within it. Bingo. </p><p style="text-align: center;">So in that template you do this, every day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHrIXMVN3GBk-uQOoO54Lww7tvGR9-lK-ZARj9TrwiJd_DKJzZZbcEOCGZXD7THqAnnqSFVY1EuaF9PBFVloT8Rf7-Sdkl0zcKkBZrPKlf5atzaPBT6y6HkN3EM1w2sMr7Su046OJ9_JdjGCgC8-FnB9f7XpN1mwoPITCdaRXn-BY_rswDpA=s613" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="558" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHrIXMVN3GBk-uQOoO54Lww7tvGR9-lK-ZARj9TrwiJd_DKJzZZbcEOCGZXD7THqAnnqSFVY1EuaF9PBFVloT8Rf7-Sdkl0zcKkBZrPKlf5atzaPBT6y6HkN3EM1w2sMr7Su046OJ9_JdjGCgC8-FnB9f7XpN1mwoPITCdaRXn-BY_rswDpA=w364-h400" width="364" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You check all those boxes, every day, for 75 days straight. You fail on any of them, you start over. You'll notice it took me four and half months to finish a two and a half month program. Dropped the ball 2x, both on the diet. Banana bread got me once and Thanksgiving pumpkin pie got me the second. Started the last run of 75 days just after Thanksgiving.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The big purpose of the whole thing was twofold. Primarily, set/reset habits for training and nutrition. Second, lose fat. Managed to make good dents in both of those. Worth noting and reminding (myself) that there is no endpoint for the habit part. It's like brushing your teeth. You do it every day. Systems instead of goals.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The advantage of the 75 Hard is the flexibility within the structure. Two workouts a day, but what those are are entirely up to you. Follow a diet, but it's any diet. You just have to find one that works for you and you'll stick with. But it has to have structure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For me, PT1 was usually a strength based workout. Weights, calisthenics, etc. I had ADHD with set/rep/split schemes the first 3 months. 5/3/1, 5x5, 3x10, 10x3, 5x10, 10x10, amraps, targeted rep goals, full body workouts, upper/lower splits, 3 or 4 or 6 day splits. Ultimately doesn't matter. Put in work for at least 45 minutes. January 1 I flipped over to the Beachbody Body Beast program, because now I needed less choice, was overthinking things and just needed plug and play for a bit. Plus, old school meathead hypertrophy bodybuilding to try and hold on to some muscle while cutting fat. If I was beat/sore or on a 3 or 4 day split, PT1 was boxing/MMA. Bag work, shadowboxing, skipping rope, etc. If bone tired, 45m of stretching.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PT2, the outdoor workout, the first 2 months, usually a swim. These last two, with rainy season kicking in, usually stretching outside on the porch, or if the weather was good, the yard. Am sure the neighbors and guards think I'm a weirdo. ZFG.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Diet, for me, was low'ish carb intermittent fasting. Low'ish in that I didn't track carbs and sugar, just generally avoided them. Didn't worry about the carbs in dairy or fruit. No breads, processed wheat, limited added sugar. Ate eggs, meat, dairy, veg (including root veg/potatoes - though not often), fruit. I think I had rice twice the last 4 months, when I was feeling flat or it felt right. (Sushi without rice is just sashimi, people.) Oatmeal about the same. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Intermittent fasting, daily. No breakfast, early dinner and then usually a smaller meal. Probably a 4-5 hour eating window, though time limits weren't something strictly adhered to. Sometimes I'd eat at 4 o'clock, sometimes not until 8. On the couple times I ate earlier than planned, just kept the carbs really low that day. The smaller meal, I guess you could call it a snack, generally fruit/dried fruit, nuts/nut butters, yogurt. If needing a sweet tooth fix, peanut butter or yogurt, rarely oatmeal, with some maple syrup did the trick.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Typical day, yesterday for example, was - coffee w/milk, water, supplements* throughout the day. Steak for dinner. Some Greek yogurt later. If I find myself bored/hungry (most hunger is boredom, or you wanting to distract yourself from something - most people have never known real hunger) I'd chew some gum - mastic or nicotine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: left;">*Supps were both haphazard and targeted. Pickings are slim in East Timor, mail is infrequent from the US. Electrolytes/salt definitely every day/baseline. Citrulline and occasional niacin for circulation. Collagen, hyaluronic acid and gotu kola for joint and tissue health. Preworkout is whatever I can find local, or subbed with coffee, citrulline, nicotine gum and niacin, or some variation/combination thereof. Protein bars, when available, fall into that post dinner snack category. Stopped buying protein powder, just throw some eggs, dairy and maple syrup in a blender. Best shake you'll ever have.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mindset for diet/nutrition - Food is fuel, not entertainment (99% of the time.) You're not a child, or a dog, you don't need 'treats' as a 'reward.' Eat real food, not chemically processed food-like substances designed in a lab to make you overeat and buy more. Don't eat until you're full, just until you're not hungry anymore.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The reading was usually a biography, training or mindset book. Good habit. Definitely keeping it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The 'no booze' was surprisingly easy. Didn't miss it at all. Not even a little. Given my family history and own personal experiences with drinking, while I'd never say I had any kind of real problem, it's something that hangs around in the back of my head. Besides, it's not like I can get a Rogue Double Chocolate Stout here in East Timor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From here, as noted, I'm in the middle of the Body Beast template, due to finish that up the end of March. And now that I don't have to split workouts or make one mandatory outside, I figure there'll be more conditioning/boxing/MMA work. Low'ish carb intermittent fasting works for me. Shoot for 99% adherence, not 100%. There are Girl Scout cookies in the freezer, after all. Nutrition wise the goal is to get a little leaner and stay there. Back of the envelope "Navy Bodyfat Calculators" put me at about 15%. Shooting for 10%. There are advantages to the bulk/cut paradigm, but ultimately it's not my bag. And probably not worth it as I creep up in age. The rollercoaster of about the last decade or so is more than enough evidence of that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From April I'll start hybridizing weights and calisthenics more, since we move again this summer and I'll be without most of my gym equipment for about a year, year and a half. So then it'll be calisthenics, bodyweight strength skill work, martial arts, bands and mobility/flexibility work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As ever, a work in progress. Or, as Bucky Fuller said, "I seem to be a verb." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Never too late. Never too old. Never give up.</div><p style="text-align: center;">“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” - Socrates</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"It is always about you and your body. It's how you see yourself, and as a result, how you see the rest of the world. The body dictates everything. It's where it all starts. What you can make it do. What you can make it endure. How quick you can be. How precise. How quiet, and strong, and flexible and still... It is at the heart of everything you do, and you must be able to trust it absolutely..." - Greg Rucka, Critical Space</div>Rob Pughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18355643989278053777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14463673.post-23881369608114454162021-12-31T02:53:00.002-05:002021-12-31T02:56:21.024-05:00Reading 2021<p style="text-align: center;">So on Easter we had a flood in East Timor. Hit our place, took out a bunch of my books, including my collection of the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker. Probably about 2/3 of them. So I decided to buy them back on Kindle and re-read them all. All 39 of them. And they're as good, if not better, than I remember. The first three in the series are good, but maybe not great. Though with the fourth -"Promised Land" - which won the Edgar Award, he really starts firing on all cylinders and is excellent. Probably doesn't hurt that's the one that introduces Hawk. The comparison and contrast between the two is a great appeal to the series. It doesn't hurt that my mind's eye always sees Avery Brooks. (Whereas, oddly, I don't see Robert Urich as Spenser. Though he was good in the series. I always pictured Spenser looking like the author, to be honest.) </p><p style="text-align: center;">That being said, there are also 39 of Parker's novels, 40 if you count the Young Spenser book. Which took about 5 months to get through, putting on hold a bunch else I'd planned on reading this year. Alack and alas and all that kind of thing. But worth it.</p><p style="text-align: center;">There's something in those books. Good pulp-y detective fiction, to be sure, but a lot more. Ruminations on life, philosophy, relationships, friendships, autonomy, purpose, even the care and feeding of pets. Things I didn't recall from the first reads, years ago, things I'm likely more attuned to now as I get older. The follow up novels after Parker's death, over a decade ago at this point, are well crafted by Ace Atkins. But still, there's something in the original works that defy capture. And it always strikes me as, if not appropriate, but nevertheless meaningful that Parker was found dead at his desk, ready to set forth more stories.</p><p style="text-align: center;">So I re-read the Spenser Novels 1-39, his one Young Spenser book plus the Xmas novel finished by his literary agent. And then I re-read the nine works by Atkins. The tenth is due in January, so I'm well prepared.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Which didn't leave me a great deal of time elsewhere, but here's the remainder:</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale</p><p style="text-align: center;">Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams</p><p style="text-align: center;">Extreme Fitness: How to Train Like an Action Hero by Dolph Lundgren</p><p style="text-align: center;">75 Hard: A Tactical Guide to Winning the War with Yourself by Andy Frisella</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Furious Method: Transform Your Mind, Body & Goals by Tyson Fury</p><p style="text-align: center;">Sly Moves: My Proven Program to Lose Weight, Build Strength, Gain Will Power and Live Your Dream by Sylvester Stallone</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) by Hal Elrod</p><p style="text-align: center;">Prodigal Son: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D. by Nicholas Meyer</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Simple Path to Wealth by J L Collins </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Eye of Revelation: The Ancient Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation by Peter Kelder and J. W. Watt</p><p style="text-align: center;">Jesse Stone Novels 1-9 (Night Passage, Trouble in Paradise, Death in Paradise, Stone Cold, Sea Change, High Profile, Stranger in Paradise, Night and Day, Split Image) by Robert B. Parker </p><p style="text-align: center;">Earl Nightingale's Greatest Discovery: Six Words that Changed the Author's Life Can Ensure Success to Anyone Who Uses Them by Earl Nightingale </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Money Answer Book by Dave Ramsey</p><p style="text-align: center;">King Bullet by Richard Kadrey</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Chaos Kind by Barry Eisler</p><p style="text-align: center;">Hail Mary by Andy Weir</p><p style="text-align: center;">A Dud at 70... a Stud at 80! and how to do it by Noel Johnson </p><p style="text-align: center;">Staying Supple: The Bountiful Pleasures of Stretching by John Jerome</p><p style="text-align: center;">Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Eye of Revelation 1939 & 1946 Editions Combined: The True Five Tibetan Rites by Peter Kelder and Carolinda Witt </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Five Tibetan Rites: Ancient Anti-Aging Secrets of the Five Tibetan Rites by Carolinda Witt, Peter Kelder</p><p style="text-align: center;">Training With Weights by Robert B. Parker and John R. Marsh</p><p style="text-align: center;"><u>COMICS</u></p><p style="text-align: center;">The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty-First Century by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons</p><p style="text-align: center;">Wolverine: Not Dead Yet by Warren Ellis & Leinil Yu</p><p style="text-align: center;">Shazam and The Seven Magic Lands by Geoff Johns, Dale Eaglesham, Marco Santucci</p><p style="text-align: center;">Absolute Planetary V2 by Warren Ellis & John Cassaday</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Middleman - The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Armando M Zanker, Les McClaine </p><p style="text-align: center;">Department of Truth, Vol 1: The End Of The World Book by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds</p><p style="text-align: center;">Superman: American Alien by Max Landis, Francis Manapul, Jock, Jae Lee, Joelle Jones, Tommy Lee Edwards, Matthew Clark, Nick Dragotta, Jonathan Case </p><p style="text-align: center;">Luthor by Bryan Azzarello and Lee Bermejo</p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo </p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman, Vol. 4: Zero Year - Secret City by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo</p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman Vol. 5: Zero Year - Dark City by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo </p><p style="text-align: center;">Batman: Earth One - Volumes 1, 2 & 3 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Boys: Dear Becky by Garth Ennis and Russ Braun</p><p style="text-align: center;">Superman & Batman Generations Omnibus by John Byrne</p><p style="text-align: center;">The Art of War: A Graphic Novel <span>by Kelly Roman and Michael DeWeese</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>The Batman's Grave by Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch and Kevin Nowlan</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">BRZRKR Vol. 1 by Matt Kindt, Keanu Reeves, Ron Garney</p><p style="text-align: center;">Hagakure: The Code of the Samurai (The Manga Edition) by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Sean Michael Wilson and Chie Kutsuwada</p><p style="text-align: center;">Fantastic Four 1234 by Grant Morrison & Jae Lee</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esucSibDVJQ/YQyvDI0LnlI/AAAAAAADado/5DMmE5p-9oMhDwRSHac7zwfAAryL4fHdACLcBGAsYHQ/s958/E8EUd6iWQAIhhJn.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esucSibDVJQ/YQyvDI0LnlI/AAAAAAADado/5DMmE5p-9oMhDwRSHac7zwfAAryL4fHdACLcBGAsYHQ/w568-h640/E8EUd6iWQAIhhJn.jpeg" width="568" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbbtbmcvXCQ/YaMnK-HMc1I/AAAAAAADg9Y/CDpfhKMZUiQ5Xfv4BKMKVntll4UADhSpACLcBGAsYHQ/s680/FFHopBBXwAM4MYR.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="680" height="338" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbbtbmcvXCQ/YaMnK-HMc1I/AAAAAAADg9Y/CDpfhKMZUiQ5Xfv4BKMKVntll4UADhSpACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h338/FFHopBBXwAM4MYR.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Rob Pughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18355643989278053777noreply@blogger.com2