Quicker Ride Than Expected

Today (02/21/2010) was a beautiful day in Austin, low 70’s sunny day. V and I thought it would be a great time for a bike ride, so we headed out to attempt the same ride we did last Sunday, a twenty mile ride in the Avery Ranch area.

What was a nice ride last weekend turned sour quickly due to the wind. It was so windy that even going down hill was hard. We cut the ride short to 10 miles, but it was a very challenging ten miles.

First Bike Ride this Year

Yesterday, V and I went out for our first bike ride of the year, a 20 mile ride that took us from the Avery Ranch area to Cedar Park, Leander and then back ( You can see the route here or in the map below).

The morning started a bit chili and in a bit of rush, since I woke up late and had to get ready, place all of our gear in the car and get there in less than an hour…. but we did make it. If you want to read V’s input check out her IronV blog post for this event.

Overall we did great, averaging 15 mph… not bad for being the first ride in a very long while. I was particularly impress with myself in the mini hills, since I was able to attack them without loosing too much time recuperating. I also rode on the largest (heaviest) gears and was able to keep up with V, something I couldn’t do previously. I have been taking spinning classes 3x a week this year and I’m glad to see that they are paying off.

Aikido

I have been practicing Aikido for about 4 to 6 weeks and it has been very interesting. Since I started I have gotten asked the same questions over and over… What is Aikido? Why you joined Aikido and not something else? Why not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Can you fight in UFC with Aikido?

Some of them I had myself and to some extent I still do, but I’m going to try my best to answer these…. remember that I just started, so I have very little experience and most of my references are other students who have been practicing for a much longer time.

What is Aikido?

I will not give you the history or the text book definition of Aikido, if you want that information you are welcome to search in Google, check out Aikido in Wikipedia or visit your local Aikido Dojo. After practicing four times a week for around 6 weeks, I have develop my own opinion about Aikido which continues to evolve as I learn more and more about the art.

Aikido is not about fighting, is not about throwing and grappling, is not about breaking your opponents bones, is not about an opponent. In my opinion Aikido is about observing, which I’m not very good at. Yes, Aikido could be useful in a fight. Yes, Aikido could be very dangerous if done maliciously. Yes, there is an “uke” or attacker and you practice by completing techniques on each other. But, those are just tools and terminology to get you to that next step. Aikido, teaches you observe the situation. If in a situation that fight is imminent, wait, observe your opponent, wait for an opening, do not force an attack, let the attacker do that for you.

• Relax – Relaxing is key… I don’t seem to be able to do that very well either. In tense situations it is hard to stand back and relax, but when relax observing becomes easier limiting irrational moves.
• Aikido is reactive and for defense myth– I don’t think Aikido is as defensive as it looks, but it is about being smart. A point of Aikido is to be able to use your energy to guide your opponent's energy towards something positive (positive for you at least). In other words, don’t try matching your opponent blow by blow or try to out wrestle him with pure muscle, instead wait. Wait and observe your opponent, does he has any particular patterns, does he steps before punching, does he tenses up when attacking. Similar to poker. Use those observations to your advantage when he gives you room for an attack.

These are teachings that we can use every day… Relax, Observe The Situation, Make your Move Smart, Smooth and Efficient.

Why you joined Aikido and not something else?

There was no scientific reason for picking Aikido. Basketball was killing my knees, I was looking for a sport to practice which involved dealing with others, but also that would be easier on my knees and help me improve my flexibility. Most sports recommended for knee problems there is no interaction, for example cycling and swimming, which I find a bit repetitive.

A co-worker recommended me to go take a look at a class in his dojo and I did. I liked what I saw and figured I would give it a try.

Why not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA is the craze right now, but honestly I am not looking to learn how to fight, competitive or not, and I have never been into wrestling. I know that Jiu Jitsu may be about more than just fighting and I admit that I didn’t visited any other martial arts dojos (I did get to practice Judo for two semester in my freshman year in college…not mentioning the year :-) ). Maybe one day I’ll get to practice another martial art.

I’ve always been interested in practicing Capoeira.

Can you fight in UFC with Aikido?

You can fight in UFC if all you know is Capoeira, I’m not sure how much that will help you in the ring :-) The ‘Only the Strong’ move and the chanting can only take you so far. I’m not sure how much help if any Aikido would be in a UFC scenario. In the other hand I went to engineering school… I doubt I would find any octagon shape cages around the IBM campus.

Thirty Out Of a 100 is Not Bad

Saturday (5/2/2009) Olive-R, V and I participated in the Shiner GASP (Greater Austin Shiner Pedal), a 100 mile cycling event from Austin to the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX, benefiting the American Cancer Foundation. Man, it was a though day. The day was a warm, cloudy and very humid. Keep in mind that I had not touch a bicycle since the 24 miles in the Spoke N Spurs event last March.

The day started with my knee being really tight and turning into a slight pain after a few miles into the event. And what was suppose to be a fairly flat road turn out to be quite hilly. The first rest stop, came 17 miles into the ride and when I got there the stop was already packing up to close. At that point I was ready to get on the van and go to the finish line. Sadly, the van available was the turtle van, which follows the last rider. A bit too slow considering the 83 miles left to go, so I figured continuing to the next rest stop at mile 33 and catching a faster van on the way would be best. Somewhere around mile 29 I saw a van passing by and I waved it down. Turning out to be one my best ideas ever.

About a mile down the road I waved down V and she decided to get in as well, and then convinced the driver, Matt, to go back for Olive-R. At that point we were three out of 4 in the van, but the following 70 miles would proof how valuable our seats were. On the way to Shiner, we stopped to aid a rider that had fallen off his bike, we picked up a number of people and squished in a few more bikes in.

During the van ride we stop countless of times to find people that wanted a ride and there were no vans available to help. That was a common complaint, they only had 3 regular side vans covering the hundred mile stretch; while doing double duty, mechanical help as well as picking up people. The vans didn’t have any bike racks, so the bikes would take valuable space within the van. A fully loaded van could only carry 7 people at a time. Not good!

The stops offered cookies, PowerAde Bars and oranges not much compared to the Spoke N Spurs ride which had PB&J sandwiches, cookies, an assortment of fruits, candies and cakes. The Spoetzl Brewery was cool and we each got an option of Bratwurst or Shiner Sausage, I as most people chose one of each. I found it to be not enough food, specially for someone who just finished a 100 mile ride. We also got to try a number of their beers, but my favorite was their 100 years commemorative beer, a doppelbock called the ‘Shiner 100 Commemorator.’

Overall it was an eventful ride, but one I would not do again. I would also like to thank Olive-R dad’s for waiting for us at the finish line, even if we were too blind to find him when we got there.

Phase 1.5 of the Road to Fitness

Yesterday, I wrote about the 1 year weight training plan that I started a couple of weeks ago. Today, I want to talk about my goals with this plan and some of the changes I’ve notice I need to make in order to continue improvement.

Long Term Goals

I want to be in shape for my wedding, but what does ‘in shape’ means? As I search on-line there are a lot of people and formulas trying to define the very same term. But, my conclusion is, that opposite to the majority of things in life, the term ‘in shape’ gets to be defined by us, our priorities and motivations. It is very easy to say ‘my goal is to be fit’, but never have a real definition of it. Thus, going to the gym endlessly without the results we would like to have. Sooner or later becoming frustrated and quitting as an end-result.

The first and second step is to define ‘in shape’ and to set a time frame. The sequence in which this is done doesn’t really matter. In my case the time frame was set, 1 Year from now. Now, I have to decide what is my reasonable ‘in shape.’  ‘In shape’ goals could be something like running a marathon or a little bit less challenging like going up the stairs without needing a tank of oxygen. Just don’t cheat yourself. Pick reasonable goals, but make sure that they are challenging as well. In other words, if you are a couch potato don’t expect to be able to run a marathon in a month or two, it is very unlikely that you will be able to do this, but you should also challenge yourself and maybe you will be able to complete a 5Km in a decent time.

I have three goals:

1. Strengthen my legs. I have bad knees and my legs have suffered because of it. There are days in which I can barely go downstairs without hanging to the hand rails for dear life. At the end of the year I would like to be able to play a basketball game and not limp for a week, go back to playing volleyball and carry my wife through the door of our honeymoon suite. ;-)
2. Loose fat. At this point I am at somewhere between 28 to 34% of body fat. I would like to lower my body fat percentage to below 20% and ideally 16% or lower. Notice that I said lower body fat, not weight. I weight around 233 lbs. (around 105.7 Kg), I am guessing that I would end up some where around 210-215 lbs., but the weight is not important to me, the fat percentage is.
3. Gain Flexibility. Limber has never been a word used to described me. This is the challenging aspect to me. In the past I was able to loose and maintain low fat percentage and have strong legs, but I have never been flexible.

Of course these goals are not set in stone, it may be that I reach my goals ahead of time and I need to find new goals or that I find it too hard to reach in the allotted time or maybe my focus has changed from pure weight training to cycling. In all these cases it will be OK to modify my goals.

Short Term Goals

As mentioned on yesterday’s post my year training plan is divided in 9 phases. I figured (no scientific method here) that it would make sense to make short term goals as I go through the phases with slight modifications as I see fit. the following is my Phase 1 short term goal:

• Stick to it. No diet, no calorie counting, no cardio, no set schedule, no weight limits…. my only rule is to go to the gym three times a week, try to rest a day between workouts and take it easy with the amount of weights. Some may find it ridiculous that a proper training plan doesn’t include any food plans or cardio and I completely agree, but that’s not what I’m looking for in the first month. I am looking to get used to finding time to go to the gym. After 2 wks into it I have been very inconsistent when it comes to workout times, I have been to the gym at 7:45 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM and 6 PM… but I have been there 3 times a week.

Two weeks into it I realize that I need to set a second short term goal. I have been able to increase my lifting weight dramatically, but that takes more energy and in the last couple of workouts I’ve had problems finishing strong. I need to start thinking about nutrition pre, during and post workout. I’ll keep you guys posted with my nutrition changes. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

1 Year Road to Wedding Shape

Hello Everyone,

I created this blog on 2005 and never got into it. I had actually forgotten about it. I never got into it because I didn’t think I had anything to share, that someone else would find helpful. Today, as I write this blog entry, I realize that just sharing my experiences is enough and if only one person finds them helpful or I get to motivate one soul to take a step forward then it is more than worth it.

I am the lucky man engaged to a beautiful, intelligent woman (which I’ll call V from now on), but that topic if for a future entry. Our wedding is scheduled for April 2010 and of course I’m starting to feel the heat when it comes to getting into wedding shape. I think every one wants to look his or her best in one of the most important days of their life. I’m no different, that and the fact that she is a running, tri-athlete, gym freak who easily gets up at 5:30 AM to go running or swimming… need less to say, I’m kind of the opposite.

Two weeks ago I decided to start a 1 year plan to get in shape. After doing some googling, I came across Todd Opheim’s BodyBuilding.com article; ‘One Year Workout Guide!’ The article explains and recommends a series of workout through the time span of one year. The workouts are divided in 9 different levels:

1 – Getting Started (1 Month Long) – Full body workout with basic exercises.
2 – Continuation (1 Month Long) – Full body workout with more advance and challenging exercises.
3 – 2 Day Split (1 Month Long)
4 – 3 Day Split (1 Month Long)
5 – Super Sets (1 Month Long)
6 – Back to Basics Mass Gain (2 Months Long)
7 – Hypertrophy (1 Month Long)
8 – 4 Day Split (1 Month Long)
9 – Decrease Fat (3 Months Long)

I have only been in this program for two weeks and I have seen some progress, especially in my legs. I’ve had knee problems for a few years, which have made slack on leg exercise, but I started easy and have been able to see exciting and motivating gains. I’ll keep you guys updated.

Please take some time to take a look at the workout site and post your opinions and workout recommendations.