KBMT gets ya in shape boy!

A pretty cool depiction of various Muay Thai techniques

KBMT – which stands for Kick-boxing & Muay Thai – is my current favorites. I mean we all know the basic concept of it, hitting and kicking using your fist, your elbows, your legs and your knees. Let me tell you: That stuff is tiring as hell! In our club we do a drill which has no name in particular but goes like that:

First round you hit with the left than with the right, two high kicks to the right and the same on the left side; the round is then concluded by two knees. It pretty much goes on like that, only that you increase the amount of hits, kicks and knees by one until you reach ten on each respectively (which you usually never do given the limited time frame). This exercise is a killer and I admit that after a while you don’t really care that much about your technique or anything its just the voice in your head saying: “Lift your leg damn it lift it”!  This week I went to KBMT training only 2 times on thursday and tuesday because until today I had a mother of an aching back which is now gone fortunately. 

FJVolpe

Catching up and a belated wheigh-in m1w4

Alright people I haven’t been able to write as much as I wanted to during the last week. In total I wrote a number of 0 articles and my personal minimum output should absolutely lie above that! But that doesn’t have to mean that nothing in particular happened during the past days.  It was just nothing noteworthy. Just kidding!

This week marked a short term change from my regular work out habits as I was suffering from terrible back pain. I really don’t know where it came from but I am certainly happy its gone!

Alright here is my wheigh in from last Monday and its (drumroll) 233,7 so I am slightly above last week but thats ok I do not expect to lose all that weight immediately and I know that there are always smaller setbacks.

Thanks for your attention and take care,

FJVolpe

Weigh-In m1w3

Alright, today a belated weigh-in since I came back from Lisbon on Monday night and had stuff to do on Tuesday (a boy’s gotta work – even if he’s merely a student). First let me say that I was convinced of a backlash weight-wise prior to stepping on the  scale.  I ate some greasy, salty fish (Carapaus or Trachurus) I had some drinks (thus breaking my pledge not to drink alcohol for a month; I drank shots of Vodka and Tequila rather than beer) and enjoyed my hosts mothers great Portuguese cooking. 

Drum roll – This morning despite all my sins I weigh-in at 232,6 lb

Wow – how did that happen? I checked again and again the scale showed me the same weight. Being only a hobby “nutritionist” and weight-loss coach only to myself I can merely theorize about the reasons.

Theory 1: The hills have thighs
There is a reason why Lisbon is called the city of seven hills. You walk up and down and again up and down and then again up. Seriously don’t try taking a car because drivers do what they want and pedestrians are even worse. Plus almost everything is in walking-range. So you pretty much walk all day and burn some calories here and there.

Theory 2: The disjunction of ingestion in time and space 
Like so many Latin people, the Portuguese take somewhat great pride in their food as it is part of their cultural heritage. As a visitor from a protestant country their intake of nutrition to me seemed as if it was following a liturgic procedure. It is not only the multiple courses they have, which I know as well but only on special occasions, but also the schedule and extent of each meal. Breakfast – other than in Germany where we often eat salmon, sausage chease etc. – is often very small and consists of some fruit, coffee and a joghurt. Lunch at 1pm is a bigger, with salad, some meat or fish etc. Dinner, which usually starts around 9pm, is BATOOOM! Huge mother! Starting with a soup or any other appetizer, then having the main course which is often fish, quiche or something equally big (including a side dish of vegetables, salad etc), going over to dessert which I witnessed to be anything from fruit to jello. In the end, to digest there is coffee – however you must note that coffee in Portugal is unlike coffee in the US or Germany. When they say coffee they get what we know as espresso only that it is in fact tasteful. Seriously I have yet to drink an espresso in Germany that doesn’t taste like my stomach acid. Alright this a very good bridge to theory 3.

Theory 3: Coffee consumption that would make an investment banker blush!
People, some of you might know this situation: You’re feeling bored and to get some entertainment you switch on TV. In Lisbon, when you’re bored you go out and have coffee. Or here, you want some updates and gossip on your friends life and call them. In Lisbon, when you want to know whats going on you go and have coffee.  Here, you see that your appartment is messy and clean it up. In Lisbon you go out and have coffee. See where this is leading? In Lisbon when you want coffee, you go out and drink coffee. At the beach, in the car, up against the mini bar, on the counter on the floor drinking coffee wanting more. Black coffee is in fact quite good for your metabolism and will help you burn calories and fat.

In Lisbon you barely see fat people and if you do, they’re Brazilians or British tourists hoping to score a local. I guess in the end all my theories work in combination that is why I will try to maintain the Portuguese lifestyle during the next few weeks.

Off to cardio,

FJVolpe

Skip Spring – go directly to Summer

Hi folks,

currently I am in Estoril, Portugal a small town located close to Lisbon. The weather is amazing and while I am here I took the opportunity to go for a little jogg this morning. I jogged down the beach promenade, enjoying a breathtaking view on the ocean (and tons of good air coming from thence). I ran for about 45 minutes from Estoril to Cascais and back. Very, very nice!

 

FJVolpe

Weigh-in m1w2

Second weigh in before heading out for cardio. Last week I was at 237.87lb I did not expect a lot of change within one week. Today’s result is 236.77lb – I lost about one pound. Not bad but I definitely can’t stop here. My goal is to be about 210lb until July and I still have a long way to go.

This week on my iPod on the treadmill:

Justice 

———————————————————————–

The Prodigy

Today is a work-out day

I am getting ready to leave the house immediately, but before I do I have to prepare my beverages: 

• 1,5 coups of coffee to stimulate my metabolism (to be drunken before working-out)
• 1l/33oz bottle filled to 3/4 with mineral water, 1/8 apple juice and 1/8 freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Alright that’s 45 minutes of treadmill for me today I am really looking forward to that. Later on it’s either MMA, Thai-kickboxing or pure grappling. Gotta see what I feel like doing.

Awesome song by the Presets in a Lifelike remix. I’ve been listening to that song during work-out since spring ’08. Truly awesome times!

 

Take good care,

FJVolpe

Edit:
Damn gym opens at 11.45 during semester break, had to go to the cafeteria to pump me up with an espresso. Cardio went very smoothly, I ran at a steady speed of 9km/h (5.6mph) a total of 45minutes which is the equivalent to a 7km (4.3 miles). Good stuff, I feel refreshed!

Putting the Nut back into Nutrition

Hi, now that I hopefully caught your attention with a wordplay that doesn’t make any sense really I will use the limelight for a moment to speak about eating habits.  I am not one of these people who stuff themselves with trash like pizza, nachos, hamburgers etc. Seriously, I didn’t have a Pizza since September and that’s not because I am trying to avoid those kinds of junk food, I just don’t like it – easy as that! On the other hand I was eating lots of meat(steak, sausages, beef jerky), potatoes, pasta all those things that are more nutrient-rich than McDonalds &Co. but also loaded with either fat or carbs. Furthermore it comes down to quantity aswell, I ingested excess calories by eating till I was stuffed always with the “consciousness” in the back of my head that what I was eating was of high quality and therefore I wouldn’t put on much more weight. 

Another thing I underestimated were sugary drinks, however not the same you might think of. I am talking about apple, orange, pineapple and cranberry juice. Nature’s own are filled as much with sugar as Coca Cola – and many people (including me back then) don’t know that.
And let’s not forget other drinks that are high on carb: Alcoholic begerages! I gotta admit that over the last few months I’ve been hitting the bars quite frequently with my friends and you folks know how it goes, you start with one tiny lil… and the next morning you wake up with a mother of a headache and 60€ less in your pocket.

Eating Schedule:

(Not really a schedule, I just didn’t know what to call it…) I pulled out my old book the “Optimum Nutrition Bible” and will start some serious reading now that I have plenty of time for stuff (University is over wohoo). But at the moment I have my old list of good foods & beverages  and bad foods & beverages (not a detailed list… let’s call it a guideline).

Good foods & beverages:

• Fishy things – that clearly includes everything that comes from the ocean even if it has 6 legs, clamps and doesn’t really swim
• Birdy things – Even though to a lesser extent present in my diet, birdy things generally have some good meat with lots of proteins. I am just too lazy to cook em.
• Fruit – I just love to snack on fruit in between. Raspberries, Blueberries, Prunes, Nashi pears, limey fruits and Peaches (the teaches of peaches… yüar)
• Yoghurt – goes quite well with fruit.
• Raw vegetables – Many vegetables lose lots of their nutrients when cooked. Fortunately I am too lazy for cooking plus I prefer the taste of raw vegetables. My favorites: Carrots, Paprika, Radish and Chicory

In terms of beverages I still like to drink juice but only heavily diluted with mineral water – try that with apple or cranberry juice. Especially after sports its incredibly refreshing!

Now in terms of bad food n’ beverages: We all know ‘em, many of us love em. Stuff that is full of sugar and fat and other bad stuff too like these omega whatever thingies.

Shazzam,

FJVolpe

Weigh-in m1w1

Alright here is the result for my first weigh in. No surprise there: 237.87lb

Since I worked all night long to get my damn paper finished (the one I should have started working on ages ago) I will probably skip treadmill and MMA workout (yeah I am ashamed of myself), but I seriously don’t think that I’d get far in my current state anyway. Treadmill postponed to tomorrow morning 10.00 AM.

Early conclusion of the first day: More shame than fame!

Good night,

FJVolpe

Cardio in my work-out routine

To me cardio is the Alpha and the Omega. See, what I am going for is a leaner, more athletic physique (that I have lost due to my negligence of good ol’ running) – I do not only want to lose excess body fat but also excess muscle. Most of you people out there will probably scream in agony now. “Lose muscle? Why the hell would you wanna lose muscle?”

In the last 6 months during which I frequented the gym a lot. I tried different kinds of work-out methods, circuit training, 2 and 3 splits and built up some muscle tissue – mostly on my upper body but my legs have also swollen notably (and god has already graced me with big thighs as it is). At the same time, as I’ve already mentioned I pretty much halted my cardio (no treadmill, jogging whatsoever)- Body builders for instance avoid cardio as well to gain mass (I avoided cardio because I was a lazy f***).  Well… I gained mass and as a result, I slowed down and lost a great deal of flexibility.  My lean physique became more bulky (or as Manon would put it “CAMION!!!”), while I did not seem to achieve more definition in my muscles. 

Back in the day in Paris, I used to run for half an hour on the treadmill on empty stomach. Afterwards I engaged in a half ass-ed work-out, working on my pecs, biceps, triceps and abs (but trust me really really half ass-ed, I didn’t progress a lot in terms of lifted weight). Over the course of 5 months (I began in Feburary after an internship at a French bank whose exquisite canteen put my workout back then under premises similar to my current condition) I started to get the desirable V-Shape, mainly because everything underneath my belly button trimmed down. My physique got slimmer, my I was more flexible, my overall body was leaner and in a better shape than before (not to mention the gain in stamina during love making).

Of course – this can not entirely be traced back to doing cardio three times a week. My nutrition was pretty good, I got rid of anything unhealthy and counted calories, tried to eat more proteins than carbs yada-yada-yada (more to come in my nutrition section). Still Cardio will play a crucial part in my workout over the next 6 months, it’ll help me to burn more fat and to trim down the excess freak muscles I have developed on my thighs and pecs.

Cardio Schedule:

Monday: 10.00 AM – 45min. run at 5mph (about 9km/h) – Treadmill @ TU Berlin Gym

Wednesday: 9.00 AM jogging around lake Grunewald, 4 miles (about 7km – when extended)

Friday: 10.00 AM - 45min. run at 5mph (about 9km/h) – Treadmill @ TU Berlin Gym

 

Sincerely yours,

FJVolpe

(re)Gaining Consciousness

Hi and welcome to therapy!

Therapy? Exactly! My therapy! This blog’s purpose is for me to post my progress in getting back in shape on the internet, to share my great success or my damnable failures with whomever likes to read this.

Now I wouldn’t blame you for asking yourself “What the f*cking hell is he talking about?!” but to keep you from cursing my name, let me give you a little prelude to this blog.

The Prelude 

Last week I went to a physical examination, I was helping out a friend who is gonna get her medical doctor licence and thus is currently working on her doctorate thesis.  Willingly I accepted to be the guinea pig for her weird experiments – it wasn’t exactly the anal probe kind of weird, but… well pretty close I’d say. After getting strapped on to a chair, being hung upside down, having my vision and partly my auricular senses blocked I eventually lost any notion of time or space  (after this experience I am finally convinced, that Gitmo is not the Disneyland of prisons). Apart from being completely sweatty, I felt kinda confindent – I managed to cheat my way through all the questions during the examination (There was no right or wrong in the test but still I desperately wanted to win!) and I felt a cozy dizzyness in my body.  Last thing to be done was the weighing and measuring. 

“How much do you weigh?”
-“Well dunno I guess about 210lb, I mean it’s winter I always gain a bit during winter” Last time I had weighed myself was in summer, I was living alone in Paris doing cardio 3 times a week on a treadmill for half an hour plus 2hrs of Jeet Kune Do on Mondays and Fridays, eating healthy food only. Back in the day I put 205lb on the scale, which is actually quite good for a 6.2ft guy with bigger frame. Since then I completely reversed my work-out and nutrition schedule – I started lifting heavy weights gaining a lot of muscle mass and eating dads cooking… gaining pure bodyfat!
But hey, that should not have changed a lot… right?
“Alright you were a tiny lil bit off. You weigh 235lb…”
-”Impossible! 235 my ass!”

Yeah, my ass! That’s were the whole mess probably stems from. I kinda went bang in that moment! See, I was always the athletic guy in my family – always engaging in sports, running, whatever I was doing at the moment… when somebody offered me to go for a jogg I was putting on my running shoes the next second! And now due to uncontrolled heavy weight lifting, almost no cardio and eating pretty much whatever (that excludes junk food – never liked that stuff) I became the king of chubbyland (possible dramatizations are volitional).

The first thing I did when I came home: I put on my running shoes and went for a 4 mile run around lake Grunewald.

Second thing: Scheduled my week. Mo, Wed, Fri and Sun are my official sport days again.

Third thing: Drew up a list of good food & beverages and bad food & beverages. No alcohol for 1 month (let’s stay realistic here folks -hell, I got a social life too you know). No meat except for poultry and fish. Ah and before I forget: No occasional titibits from the Haagen Dasz jar. 

Fourth thing: Set up goals! Within 6 months I want to go from John Candy to Leonidas.

 -   

From “fat ass” to “bad ass” so to speak!

Fith thing: Set up a blog and document my week and how I have been holding up with my plan. Important thing here is: If I cheat on you, I cheat on me! So I will try to be as honest as I can be about my progress. 

Thank you for your interest and I will soon post a more detailed schedule and a list of my physical activities on this blog.

Watch out

FJVolpe