Virtual Giro

In spite of my precarious situation I began my virtual Giro yesterday. What this includes is riding each day of the Giro that the riders ride. This means I'll be on my bike each day but two over the next three weeks. Romney and Reed have both joined in and I imagine will put their own spin on it. My rules are as follows:

Each day I must ride a minimum of 10% of the race distance or time.
I do a time trial on TT days.
I climb on climbing days.
I ride each of my bikes at least one day per week (road, CX, fixie, SS, 69er).

If I can finish this and make progress through it will build some base for my objectives during the latter half of the year. 10% doesn't sound like much but given I can barely ride at all I'll be happy with it. Plus, this is my "second" workout of the day. Plus, as soon as I can run I have to start doing some preparation. I wanted to make it harder but after day one I'm going to be happy to just finish this.

Day One - rode a time trial up Emigration from the zoo. 36 minutes. Pathetic, yes, but I'm also super sore today and was too tired last night to ride to bike film festival. Regardless, it felt nice to be out on my bike. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of it.

The Giro course is brutal this year. I wish I had more time to do a better mimick. There are no big climbs until stage 7 so I've got a few days to get my legs going. The last week is absurd. I'm psyched to concoct some big circuits here in the mountains. Since I've never timed myself up Emigration I have no idea how much time I'll shave off but I'm thinking it will be a lot. We'll see. Right now I've just got to stay healthy and get on my bike.

Of course the US doesn't cover the Giro too well anymore. This is a shame since it, for sure, has the best field of this year's grand tours. It's going to be an epic race. Cycling TV on the web has daily live coverage for $30. Rai sport has free daily coverage on the web in Italian. The race seems more appropriate this way anyway. Check out:

http://www.cyclingfans.com/

for daily live streaming coverage and cyclingnews.com and velonews.com for more in depth info.

Now off to ride my bike.

Abridged Workouts

While my recovery is going a little slower than I'd hoped the design of the P90X workouts has made it easy to continue with my program. I won't be making the same progress but I'm not sliding backwards either. I'd never done abridged X worouts (except yoga) and hadn't even really thought about it since we have so many shorter workouts to choose from. But every workout in the X rotate is set up so that it works well if you can only do it in parts.

This is particularly true with the focused body part resistance workouts. I've been warming up, doing half of the sets, then doing the cool down. It's plenty of training. It ain't X, but no one is wasting away doing this many sets on the given body part. Since the more cario intensive workouts have an intensity over time component they are less effective when abridged--more like maintenance work.

All in all, my two week off period has me in a similar fitness state to where I left off. I'd be exstatic about this if I could jump back in full bore but I don't think I've recovered enough yet. Hey, wasn't I supposed to start doubles tomorrow?

pic: bikes clean and ready for simulated Giro. Am I?

Good Pain vs Bad Pain

With new clients it's generally a challenge teaching them to sort out good pain from bad. Good pain is the type associated with "no pain, no gain," while bad pain is more associated with "no pain, no brain." The former is the type that exercise induces that is your muscles and cardiovascular system working against the forces of your workout. The latter is bone, joint, connective tissue or other signs your body is giving you that you're doing something harmful to it. It's often not easy to sort out the difference. To max your body's potential you need the ability to fight through pain, but if you fight through the wrong kind of pain you'll never be able to reach your potential.

New clients often think that the standard soreness from a hard session is the sign of an injury. Conversly, seasoned athletes tend to feel that they can ignore and fight through anything with enough willpower. This often leads beginners to give up training altogether and athletes to be chronically injured or, only slightly better--to spend most of their careers in a state of being overtrained.

How hard is it to get right? Well, I've been around this block a bit and I often can't tell. Part of it is from sheer manicness. If I can't exercise I'm a bad person to be around. My doctor recognized this straight away, telling me "you're going to f@$% this recovery up, aren't you?" And in spite of his warning and my own knowledge, I'm probably bordering on pushing too far. I've regressed a bit in the last two days. It may be a normal part of the recovery but I had just inceased my exercise level as well, so I'll blame myself. Today I'm back to icing and sitting in front of a computer.

There's a saying amongst the endurance athletes that goes "it's better to be 25% undertrained than 1% overtrained." This is because 1% overtrained means injured, or at least a state of cumulative microtrauma. It means that you can't train or can't compete, productively. It means that racing someone 25% undertrained will be frustrating because they will have their emergency fibers ready for use while yours are extinguished. And then you'll be racing someone that you know damn well hasn't put the work in that you have, and they will beat you. This is a horrible feeling. It happens all the time.

I always tell myself that if I don't feel like training then I shouldn't. I try my best to stick to this rule; I still often fail. I just had a surgery. I hurt. But it's beautiful out. My bikes are all clean and beggin me to ride them. And I want to. I want to bad. But I'm not going to. I'm going to sit here and ice and work and read and maybe watch a movie. I'm not going to ride. And making myself do that hurts a lot more than any pain I'd face on the bike.

pic: good pain: the only thing more painful than time trialing is not time trialing.

Block II

After a recovery week of dog hikes and a few sun salutations I'm moving well enough to begin my second block of training. Today I'll ride--not for too long--for the first time in a while, which will hopefully allow me to line up virtually with the start of the Giro on May 10th. In prep for Speedgoat, some big rides and climbs I've got planned for the summer/fall, block II begins with some extra focus. In spite of the forced time off block I was successful in that my overall body condition has improved a lot. I've gained some size (probably more than I want)--enough that some of my shirts are much tighter--and evert aspect of my fitness has improved. On to block II.

This block will have a lot of double days as riding, running, and climbing will get into the mix. But the main focus will still be on the X workouts. Since block three will be even more sports specific, II will look more like a traditional block III. It's four weeks long, which is mainly because week one is going to be abridged. Rather than using different workouts to ease back in, I'll stay with X workouts and abridge them each day and only do enough as my body allows. Since most of these are repetitive circuits it's pretty simple to do this.

Here's the plan for the next for weeks. X only--sports training will vary and I'll list this plan later as I'm actually able to do some running, which I still can't.

Week 5

M - Chest, Shoulders, Tris & ARX
T - Cardio X
W - Back & Bis, ARX
T - Yoga X
F - Legs & Back
S,S - outside stuff--begin Giro simulation (more on this later but Sat begins virtual Giro--fun fun)

Week 6

M - Chest & Back, ARX
T - Plyo
W - Shoulders & Arms, ARX
T - Yoga X
F - Legs & Back, ARX
S,S - outside stuff--begin Giro simulation (more on this later)

Week 7

M - Chest, Shoulders, Tris & ARX
T - Plyo
W - Back & Bis, ARX
T - Yoga X
F - Legs & Back
S,S - outside stuff--begin Giro simulation (more on this later)

Week 8

M - Chest & Back, ARX
T - Plyo
W - Shoulders & Arms, ARX
T - Yoga X
F - Legs & Back, ARX
S,S - outside stuff--begin Giro simulation (more on this later)

Week 9

M - Core Syn
T - Yoga X
W - X Stretch
T - Core Syn
F - Yoga X
S,S - outside stuff--begin Giro simulation (more on this later)

Periodizational Dieting

Answering a question on the boards this morning I realized that I haven't talked about the P90X diet yet. This is because I haven't addressed my own diet yet at all either. I eat okay most of the time but my diet varies drastically over the year as I train for different sports and events. The bottom line is that you should always eat for what you are doing. Since most of us don't do the same things every day it doesn't make sense to eat the same foods every day.

Periodizational training has been around for a long time and most people are sold on the fact that it's the most effective way to train. You can periodize different ways but the objective is the same: to train one energy system at a time until it plateaus and then move to the next one in a way the reduces the plateau and keeps the perfromance curve moving skyward. The schedule generaly depends upon your goals. A periodized training program can be a few weeks or an entire year. Most fall somewhere in between.

"Training" your diet works the same way. The most famous phase-oriented dieters are bodybuilders but most athletes do some form of it, either planned or serendipitious. The 90X diet is just one plan that was written with our clients and this program in mind. It's not perfect for everyone but every one can use its aspects to suit their needs. Because we don't all have the same level of fitness, goals, or agenda it's impossible to write one diet that works for every single person. With X we used the most generally effective system that had worked for the largest group of our client population. There is leaniency written in, especially in regards to how long to stay in each phase.

A periodized diet, like an training program, targets different areas in each phase. With new clients I generally follow the same path. First reduce carbs until your energy stalls out, then add carbs back in until your energy peaks, and then adjust the amounts of carbs you eat based on exercise. Within the simple plans there are many variables, from obvious ones like reducing junk foods and ensuring you are getting enough nutrients from proper foods to the more subtle, like balancing weight gain/loss with performance goals. No matter what the end goal the phases attempt to work towards that goal an efficient manner. The general path is to establish a good nutrient base, target this towards a desired weight, then get the most performance out of the body at the given weight for the desired goal.

I'll talk more specifically about the X diet, and about my own diet for my upcoming goals, as the program moves along. It will all follow the above principles.

More Time Off

The changing status of my health care forced me to undergo a minor procedure prior to the end of the month, which will cause another set-back in the program. This offers up a few interesting challenges, the primary being that Speedgoat is now less than three months away and I'll probably have no real training for the event until its two months away. Matching last year's effort could be a little tricky. So I've got about a week of nothing, followed by a week of creeping back towards X intensity. Two weeks will require a little planning.

In a week off or less you don't actually lose fitness. In fact, you gain fitness as your fast-twitch muscle fibers heal up. This is why athletes taper prior to competition. After a week you need to be careful jumping back into full blown workouts because of this because you do have the ability (with no lost fitness and a full store of fast-twitch and "emergency" muscle fiber to play with) to cause a ridiculous amount of breakdown. Once back in college (before I knew this; or the way I learned it, really) I had a week off and hit the gym. I couldn't believe how strong I felt--one of the exercises I remember doing was calf raises with a full stack and a 200 plus pound guy standing on the bar. I think I broke down every type II a and b (fast twitch) muscle fiber I had. For two weeks I could barely walk around campus and that over-exuberant workout definitely slowed my overall progress a lot more than than the time off. So the rule is that after close to a week off you should begin easing back into things and, certainly, should not be attempting records unless you're in a competition. And, btw, the reason why you don't usually finish a competition totally broken down is that a comp is only about max intensity and not volume, intensity, and progressive overload as a training session would be.

Anyways, I don't have that option. After a week I can ease back in depending on how my recovery is going. In general, it takes about as much time as you've had off to get back to where you were. My goal will be to do enough volume of stretching, yoga, and stabilizer muscle exercises that I don't lose much at all. I'm hoping for barely a blip in my overall progress.

However, a week lost is still a week lost and it's hard to make up with an event on the calendar. I'm going to be going into Speedgoat so undertrained that most experts would probably advise against it. I look at it as just another physical experiment--another way to alter the template, understand the body, and prove those wrong who dish out words like "impossible".

pic: last year's title in serious jeopardy

Shoulders & Arms

"12" arms don't drop nobody." - a saying used by some of my steroid/bouncer friends in college.

I began this program with a shoulder problem that's been around ever since the Hans 50,000 challenge which featured, in part, doing 10,000 push-ups. When I began that contest I could fire off push-ups as if they were nothing. When it ended I was injured and push-ups hurt my left shoulder pretty bad. Dumb? Well, yeah... but whatever. What's life without some silliness?

Since that time push-ups have been tough, even though I've fairly thoroughly rehabed my shoulder a couple of times. During my fit test I did a pathetic 30 push-ups. I once could do 100. During my first yoga session every vinyasa hurt like crazy. Now, thanks to S&A I'm feeling better. I've done 30 push-ups during one set of a workout.

S&A is not a rehab workout. Not even close. It's a ridiculous assault on some smaller muscles groups, given all those sets, that would make most physical therapists wince. So I was a little surprised that after the first time I did it my shoulder felt better and hurt less during yoga. The second session followed a chest and back workout that had my shoulder feeling tentative by the end. I had a feeling it might help with this and it did. Since that workout my shoulder pain has nearly ceased.

Rebabbing shoulders is always tricky and most athletes, especially as they age, have some shoulder issues. Rehab exercises tend to be high volume with very light weight. While essential to improve stabilizer muscle strength they are only part of the solution. In order to fully rehab your shoulders you need to get back to pushing heavy weights too, otherwise your large muscles become out of balance and big full-body movements like push-ups and pull-ups force excessive strain on the area. Since most PTs don't recommened heavy exercise I had to find this out by trial and error. This round is proving my theory correct. I'm guessing that my shoulders will be back close to full strength for the first time in years. We'll see, but basing things on my ability to do push-ups sans pain it certainly seems to be working.

I love Tony's intro where he talks about wearing tank tops as if they were invented for guys to show off their biceps. Perhaps this is true but it's also funny as hell. It's certainly true of Hollywood. We've always referred to curls as actor exercises because actors love to show off their arms when they've been in the gym. A no one I can think of moreso than The Shat. The good captain loved wearing tight-fitting clothing when he was in shape. So much so that in one press release my brother and I were reading the main comment for an episode with that Bill had been spending a lot of time in the gym and requested a scene where he take his shirt off. No wonder he got all those women. I'm fairl certain that as soon as he took off his shirt the producers allowed him to improvise his lines as well.

"You're too beautiful to ignore. Too much women."

Chest & Back

Ran into Marc and Suzanne at the dog park yesterday. Suzanne--in week 3--asked "when do you stop being sore?" Sheesh, I dunno. In most programs you adapt within a couple of weeks no matter what because that's how long it takes for your fast-twitch muscles fibers that get blow out in the first few days to fully recovery. The X is slightly different because it changes pace so often that you continually adapt over the first part of the program, meaning that you could stay sore for much longer. And then you factor in workouts where adaptation is just one aspect and trying to master it later on can tear you down even further. Case in point: Chest & Back.

Supersetting these two body parts for an hour is rugged. So much so that when I first showed this workout to my friend Bob--a guy who can knock off 60 pull-ups in a row--his comment was "I couldn't finish that". Getting used to it is only step one. Mastering it could take a long time and you'll never do it unless you're in peak condition.

Because C&B works two large muscle groups so thoroughly that there’s a huge amount of lactic acid in your system, leading to the feeling like you're about to vomit--or, many times, actually vomiting. When I was in the office I could always tell when someone was really pushing in during C&B because you’d hear them pacing around the office and trying to force enough air into their lungs to flush the lactic acid bath that was attempting to extract their lunch.

SCENE VII: INT BEACHBODY OFFICE

STEVE EDWARDS, Beachbody’s Director of Results, sits in his office typing on his computer. In the background, we hear a door open punctuated by two men hyperventilating. We hear this sound get louder as one of them approaches STEVE’S office. KIP MARTIN, actor/BB marketing dude/Clark Kent look-alike passes STEVE’S doorway waving his arms in a ballistic stretch referred to as huggers, desperately trying to control his heaving chest. STEVE smiles, knowingly.

STEVE

Chest & Back day, huh?

A beat, with more breathing, as KIP moves up and down the hall. He seems to get control of himself, enters STEVE’S office, where he doubles over, hands to knees.

KIP

Killer session. That workout is intense—

KIP shudders somewhat violently, and then moves towards that door.

Back in a minute!

KIP runs out the door towards the men’s room.

CLOSE UP: STEVE sitting at his desk, smiling and nodding.

FADE OUT

Pic: climbing in Mexico about a decade ago. My back will look like this again soon.

Finally An Event To Train For

This weekend I dropped my application in the mail and am now official entered in something this year. It's one of the most difficult races on the ultra calendar. While short, for an ultra, it's the most difficult course profile there is--last year it had over 24,000' of elevation change in just under 30 miles. Here's my race report.

Wasatch Speedgoat 50k

This should be an interesting experiment. Last year I'd been doing a lot of running--well, run, hike, long mountain adventures anyway. This year I've done almost none. Not a single "run". Quite a few dog hikes. Not one long day in the mountains. I have almost exactly three months to train.

My training will start slow. Like I stated earlier in this program I don't always heed my own advice. Here's an old post from a runner doing Power 90. I tell him to stop running for a while. He reluctantly does and his times improve when he starts again. As for me, my legs are feeling good and I don't want to slow this progress. So I'm going to resist the temptation to start pounding right away and ease into this slowly so this will also serve as a "Running and P90X" example.

I'm easing into the diet too (I always eat okay, btw). When are we getting those beers?

Reboot

I get asked questions all the time about how to get back on a program when you've missed some days. The answer is always different but the one thing it generally has in common is not to overdo it trying to get back in a hurry. Of course, I don't always listen to my own advice. I've missed the last 5 days of training because I've been moving, cleaning, getting my old house ready to rent, keeping up on work, trying to keep the dogs' legs stetched, etc. It doesn't feel like I haven't been training because I'm more tired than I was before it started. Still, fitness feels like it's slipping 'causing me to tell Reed that I'm thinking of doing double days to catch up. "Didn't I read that if you miss a few days you should not try and catch up but just pick up the program as if you hadn't missed any workouts," he said knowing that I'd written it in the guide. Right, I should take my own advice sometime.

So in deciding that I'll listen to myself I'm jumping right back in. What I will change is that I'll consider this week a bit of a recovery week (though I don't feel very recovered at all) and go for three hard weeks before my next transition week. The transition (or recovery as they're called) weeks in P90X can always be altered a bit because the adaptive and growth phase of each block might take anywhere between 3 and about 6 or 7 weeks depending on one's fitness state and the intensity of each workout. Since 90X was meant to be extreme we kept the blocks short. People not in peak fitness could extend them until they begin to plateau. I have no risk of plateau-ing any time soon. Right now it's all about adaptation.

pic: marriage eiger art: our newly-framed kleine sheidegg retro print looking for a home

Yogi Tony

It seems pathetic that I'm more sore after yoga than any other workout. I've done yoga, off and on, for more than 20 years but never enough to get good at it. This round I'm coming off as long a break as ever and it's silly just how bad I am. I mean, it's great, too. During every session I ask myself why ever don't do yoga because it feels so good. A also tell myself it's hard and that I'll never get any good at it. My main problem is that it's boring. I'd rather be outside climbing, riding, exploring. But yoga makes those things easier, so I'm pretty committed to getting on a more regular schedule. Day two and I've already made progress but have a long long way to go.

It's not exactly an excuse but I find myself falling out of postures because I'll laugh. Not at the dvd, but at the recollection of Tony's test group sessions. Tony loves yoga, does it religiously, and is a good teacher. But he also played football and enjoys competition. He can't help this from coming through in his style. In the final vidoes we edited him a bit and he also knew to tone it done on camera--still, he can't help using words like "fight" that you don't normally associate with yoga. With the test group, however, yogi Tony was more like drill instructor Tony. Some of the original test group yoga sessions were like a skit on SNL.

"Cohen, you miserable piece of @#%! You call that a @#$%*-ing downward dog?!" is one of my favorites but there were plenty of them. I would usually do the original workouts right after they'd film them and we'd make adjustments as necessary. The only adjustments to the yoga routine that I vividly recall is the elimination of stuff that had me laughing most of the way through it.

I once told Tony we should consider a yoga studio aimed at a male audience. Instead of peace and mediation we'd get aggro, berate clients, kick them out of class for performing poorly... like real sports.

Why is this funny? I love ironic behavior, especially in an extreme sense. Some of my favorite coaches were the ones that could balance teaching with crazy behavior, like Bobby Knight and, unfortunately, they're being weeded out in our politically correct society. I learned a lot playing for people like this. It's not fun when you're the one being targeted but you always knew that it wasn't personal--just your turn. One of my favorite examples is from coach Maz at Mt.SAC. He'd had enough of one player, calls timeout, and runs onto the field screming, "...you're fat. You're fat, and you're slow. You're fat, you're slow (a beat), and you're a disgrace to baseball! Get off the field!" He then follows him to the dugout kicking dirt at him like Billy Martin used to do to umpires before that, too, was declared poor form. I miss that stuff. It gave the games personality. I guess I'm like Paul Newman's character in Slap Shot when he's screaming at the ref for calling a penalty, "what are you running here, a goddamned dance floor? This is hockey!"

Anyways, that guy wasn't really fat. He was a college athlete. I'm not fat either. But that doesn't stop the screaming in my head as I'm falling out of Warrior III from blaring, "Edwards, you're fat. You're fat, and you have no balance. You're fat, lack balance, and are a disgrace to yoga. Get off the mat!"

pic: the kids in their favorite pose: savasana.

Before And...

I posted my fit test and before pic already but here are some others. Reed has the most upside--though I haven't actually seen if Marc's gained all the weight he says he has--in terms of a traditional before/after. Always a big guy, Reed was probably one of the better climbers in the world who consistantly weighed over 200 pounds. He got down to 185 for one season, which is still heavy for a 6' climber, and was an absolute beast. If he ever rode his bike at the weight it'd be ridiculous. Right now he's tipping that scales north of 230. I think we'll see some changes. Here's his blog, which will also come with a lot of cool biking pics:

Reed's Blog

Romney took her fit test last night and if I posted a before pic she'd kill me (posting one anyway that I'm gambling she won't kill me for--snatching with the Joneses). However, she looks fine and, as you'll see, isn't all that un-fit. Still, we expect some improvement. She won't be doing X but filling X workouts in around her Gym Jones sessions (not exactly a drop-off in intensity--check their site), which are going to focus on rehabbing some knee issue that we really need to MRI but don't have the excess money to pay her current deductable b/c we just bought a new house, etc (insert insurance rant here).

Here are her stats:

Pull-ups: 6
Vertical: 10.5"
Push-ups: 32
Wall Squat: 2:36
Flex: + 3.5
In and Outs: 125
Curls: 21 @ 15lbs
HR: 155, 120, 80(?), 80(?)- we (again) didn't use a monitor so this will be more accurate later on.

Scott didn't send his but he looks thin and I'm sure his improvements will be mainly performance based.

Here's a note for Marc. Please note the our version of "foul shape" means only foul shape for athletic people who are used to being in great shape:

we've been lax due to work, laziness and generalized apathy, but we finally did our fit tests:

measurements: we're big where we shouldn't be and small where we shouldn't be.
weight: heavier than usual (me=a lot heavier, think big fat fuck; do my shoes match?)
fat calipers: utilizing visual analysis and poking and pinching, it's clear that we're gooey! before pics: would be an afront to god and all others who would lay eyes upon them.

resting heartrate: after a night of eating way too much thai and waking up to a lot of coffee: suzanne's=58, mine=62

pull-ups: by default, they were weighted; suzanne=10, me=12

vertical leap: suzanne=14", me=14"

push-ups: knees for suzanne=30, regular for me=30

toe touch: suzanne=+2.5", me=+4.5" (note: i'm +6 ape, long waist and short legs, so this is not an indication of supior flexibilty, but rather of freakish proportions)

wall squat: suzanne=80", me=70"

biceps curls: suzanne with 20lbs=52, me with 30lbs=24 (who wears the pants in this family?)

ins and outs: suzanne=45, me=61 (just stopped out of boredom after losing count at 61, albeit i felt it minutes later)

heart rate maximizer: suzanne: 154, 108, 90, 84, 82, me= (first time, due to inaccurate determination of max) 135, 94, 88, 85, 84 and second time: 120, 88, 80, 84, 84

we're in foul shape!

we start the p90x tomorrow and will stick with schedule prescribed by the guide, allowing for riding days for both of us, climbing days for suzanne and unicycling days for me (by saying allowing for, i mean that we will attempt these activities in spite of having our big fat asses handed to us 6 days a week). we commute by bike (single speed 42x18 for suzanne and fixed 45x17 for me) to the u via wasatch (6 miles door to door) at least 5 days week (except for the past 6 months which has been
more like 2 times every six months) and we walk the dogs at red butte or tanner every day for an hour (we haven't slacked here, but this is the first time in my life i would consider it exercise).

so that's it for now, we're depressed, going into work and then taking the dogs out and then not eating a lot of thai food! thanks for the motivation and good luck with the move and your program.

wait, tomorrow is chest and back, ab ripper x.

peace,

marc

The Test Group

Doing these videos again has reminded me of our test group. No matter how fit you are, 90x will find your weakness and exploit it. We auditioned pretty much every hot shot fitness person and trainer in LA and ended up casting either Tony's friends (who train with him regularly) or members of our test group who up until that time had little fitness training. It was a great testament to how the X works. Tony and I were talking about this as one "famous" trainer and another was getting out performed by some regular Joe whose only advantage was that they'd just finished three months of the program they were auditioning for, "It takes you out of your wheelhouse and exploits your weaknesses, no matter who you are," he said.

I should add that I auditioned too and was one of the latter, which I only did because Tony asked me to. But when my time came around I was in the midst of week 2 and so sore that I could barely wash my hair, much less ace a fit test. I was in such a state of breakdown that I had no clue how long it would last. I was fit; having just finished a full bike racing/multi-sport season. But fit meant nothing. I was out of my wheelhouse and so sore that I could barely walk. "You gonna be ready in a few weeks?" Tony asked. "I have no idea," was my reply. "We should just cast test group people."

I did get better. A couple of months later I did one of my hardest birthday challenges that combined my usual endurance activity with heaps of pull-ups, push-ups, and other assorted anaerobic stuff. The X was perfect training for it.

Our little test group is filled with athletes. It's going to be fun to see how we come out of it. Marc and Suzanne are climbers (though Marc claims he's finished with it; Suzanne is still climbing very hard) and Marc is a cyclist. Reed is one of my closest friends, an ex-climber who pretty much now just rides his bike. Sk-hawt is an ex-national level cyclist. Romney is going to join in at some point in some way, most likely with a combination of X and Gym Jones. Another Jonesian, Erica, just broke her leg skiing and may join us during her rehab phase. Lisa's friends Dan and Elizabeth may also join the thread. On my suggestion they started a month ago, are now in tip top form, and "Tony Horton fanatics". Dan is another ex-climber who is talking about starting again and Elizabeth "can see back muscle for the first time in my life."

I was going to post fit tests today but will do it later so this doesn't run too long. Plyo today; fun, fun, fun....

above pic: on my way to 430 pull-ups at Gold's Gym in Venice, just a sliver of the agenda of Challenge 03.

Plyometrics

This workout reminds me of basketball practice. Since I haven't practiced basketball since, like, college it stands to reason that I'm pretty sore this morning. I actually did quite well. I was dizzy a few times but not alarmingly so and kept up with everyone, which I can't say for any of the other workouts yet. I even thought, for a minute post-workout, that I might not be too sore but later on in the evening I began feeling heavy and getting out of bed this morning wasn't particularly easy. Paying dues is always fun.

I had a couple of thoughts during my session. First was that maybe this is why I added both a basketball and baseball element to my challenge in 03. I mean, I played baseball for many years, and even in college, but never really liked it that much. But it's always nice to see that you still have it to some degree and those pitching movements probably got me thinking of that.

I also thought of Leigh Miller who used to work at Beachbody. He was similar to me in that he had a lot of oddly varying interests that didn't seem to relate to each other, which meant that we related very well. We did a lot of the 90x workouts to test them as they were being designed, including Plyo for the first time. We hadn't shot any video so we'd do them off of Tony's proposed work sheets and had to try and figure out each move. We didn't always get them right and often made the workouts even harder. He also had this really cool and funny picture on his desk of he and his fiance that was similar to this pic of my wife and I. I thought the pic showed a special connection between them and was envious he'd found someone like that. I know it shows a special connection between us; and now I know that I was right to be envious. I haven't heard from Leigh in a while but am sure he's doing great. He's the type who will always do great.



Anyways, I love Tony's introduction to Plyo where he distills the meaning of plyometric exercise into "jumping." Well, yeah. But a slightly more scientific reason of why plyometric training is helpful is that it eccentrically forces the stretching of a muscle prior to its concentric action. This action causes is high level of muscle cell motor unit recruitment. This recruitment action is what determinds a muscle's effeciency, or the absolute strength of a given muscle, and is absolutely vital for sports performance. Without any type of plyometric training it's impossible to reach your body's potential for performance.

Things Are Startin' To Happen

Week 1 is finished. As I stated, it was a transition week and not really a week of X. I'm sore. Really sore. Christ, I was sore after yoga. It's not too surprising given that I have a fair amount of fast-twitch muscle fiber which breaks down quickly and recovers slowly. I knew I'd be sore but still...and with Chest/Back on the horizon, followed by Plyo, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

On the positive side having done the workouts before I'm adapting pretty quickly. Also, I'd never done the final 90x dvds as I'd always worked off of my demo tapes from the test group. The final workouts are better but also just a bit easier because we've perfected the pauses between sets. The original test group was four people, which myself or Mason on occasional fifth. Tony would go at the pace of the group and we later figured, after the large test group, what the best rest for everyone would be. Anyway, this helped me adapt quicker, use better form, and will lead to more rapid improvement. Once you get good you can always go faster, so the slower pace is generally better.

Marc and Suzanne just mailed in their fit test stats. Reed is still in Hawaii but gets back today, I think. Romney wants in, too, at least in combo with her Gym Jones stuff. With Sk-hawt also beginning, looks like our party is now 6 strong. No problem with that.

The title is a reference to one of Tony's lines in Power 90. We make fun of him--can't take this all too serious can we?--whenever possible, all in good fun. My brother was the first to bring that line up because he says it at one of the few times nothing is really going on, which, for some reason, has amused me and my friends greatly over the years so much that we use this line constantly when nothing is going on. I'll use more of these throughout this program when I have nothing else to write about. However, it's not all that appropriate right now because I'm awfully sore and stiff and something is, indeed, startin' to happen.

90X Schedule For April

April is going to be a busy month. We're moving, which also involves getting both of our houses ready for rent and renting mine (Romney's is rented). This act involves purging a lot of stuff, purchasing some new stuff, and lots of yard work. Tuco's a little bitter about our lack of outside time but at least we're moving right next to the "best dog park in the Western US", which puts it in the running for best dog park worldwide, which is actually just an open space area with my wife to thank for the access (one of her gigs as the mayor's environmental advisor). Anyways, my point of the qualifier is that I'm only designing the first block of 90X to get me through the transitory month.

Like I said yesterday, we're starting off with a transition week. Then we get down to business--though, as Xers know, transition/recovery weeks often seem harder than the business weeks. The only goal this month is to finish it. Baby steps.

You may notice a switch back and forth between the Classic and Lean routines. This is to give a few atrophied areas (I lost a lot of muscle in India) a bit more recovery time and also put less strain on connective tissues. This is not the best plan for a grow curve if I were fit but it's a good compromise. I will also, most certainly, be doing some riding, running, and climbing as well which has been considered when planning for breakdown/recovery factor. Training beyond your ability to recover is silly, not to mention un-productive.

Week 1

T - UML
W - Yoga X
T - Core Synergistics
F - Cardio X
S - UML

Week 2

M - Chest & Back, ARX
T - Plyo
W - Shoulders & Arms, ARX
T - Yoga X
F - Legs & Back
S - Cardio X + something outside

Week 3

M - Core Syn
T - Cardio X
W - Legs & Back
T - Yoga X
F - Shoulders & Arms, ARX

Week 4

M - Chest & Back, ARX
T - Plyo
W - Shoulders & Arms, ARX
T - Yoga X
F - Legs & Back
S - Cardio X + something outside

Day One

So my day 1 P90X workout was... The UML! I know, it's a Master Series workout but I'm waiting for my friends, who can't start til next week, plus I'm still sore from the Fit Test. The UML was enough. In fact, the entire first week is going to be a transition week much like the recover weeks during the program. I'll get less sore this way and be able to go harder when I hit things like Chest and Back. Christ, I didn't make it through all of the UML moves without stopping. Pathetic.

Still working on the schedule. It will be ammended anyway but I'm mainly having trouble because I just don't know what I'm training for. Got an email from my friend Mike who signed up for some weird hike, ski, run, ride, kayak race because he needs "an eye opener" in order to get focused. I generally work like this, too. I just need to find something that I really want to do. General bike racing, running races, or climbing aren't holding much interest at the moment. I'm thinking some speed ascents in the mountains may be in order. Anyway, I'm uber busy for the next month so I've got some forced time to mull it over.

My before pic was taken last week by my wife in Zurich. It hides how un-fit I actually am. And that's right, I said wife. The girl whom was until now--and still for that matter--is most often referred to as Romney on this blog. We eloped in Switzerland last week-ish (actual date the spring equinox) and have been letting the news trickle out. Having never been married, or even engaged, I can't say it's a shock. It feels perfectly natural, which I'm sure is all due to her.

Now that we've got that out of the way I can get back to the silly business of training. My wife, incidentally, trains with Twight et al over at Gym Jones. Go Romney! For those wanting to stay abreast of my romantic goings on, we have our own web site, that's only partially political:

Romney Edwards 2008: For A Better America

Back with my 90X training schedule tomorrow.

Our Party Is Now Three Strong...

No problem with that.

You ever notice how bad guys in macho action movies are pretty much just into bad stuff, no matter who it happens to? One of my favorite examples is in the film, Point Break (no one beats Swayze for unintentional comedy), when Swayze's character (incidentally, named Bodhi, as in The Bodhisaatva, or the enlightened one, for someone who robs banks, kills people, creates general mayhem--genius) lands in Mexico after a botched banks job. The guy on his team is supposed to pick up the entire gang but he doesn't even inquire about where the rest of the guys are. He and Swayze simply high five, utter some gutteral cretin yelp associated in action films (spring break parties, etc) with male coolness, and drive off into the sunset. "All our friends and colleagues were just killed. Woo-hoo. Doesn't get any better than that. High five!"

The title of this blog is from another film, Drop Zone. Gary Busey's character learns that one of his team has been identified and decided to take him out, which no one else on the team knows. During a jump he runs the guy into some electric wires, which you'd think would seem strange to the rest of their team. But, no. Upon landing they all whoop and high five, and don't even bother inquiring about why they'd eliminate one of their own. Busey then utters, "Our sky diving party is now four strong. No problem with that!" To which they all whoop and high five some more.

Soon after seeing this a group of us were bouldering when one of our group sprains his ankle after falling off a highball boulder problem. Our initial response is to help but one of us realizes how we'd behave if we were cool, turns to intercept us and proclaims, "Our bouldering party is now 3 strong. No problem with that." We all high five, walk to the next problem, and leave our (ex) buddy writhing on the ground in pain.

Macho-ness rocks.

Anyways, we now have three people doing this little round of P90X. All of us are cyclists and ex-climbers--I being the least ex of the bunch. So as I concoct this schedule it will accomodate some riding and, most likely, some climbing.

No problem with that. High five.

My P90X Journey

This isn't going to be a before and after success story but, since I'm about to begin a round of P90x I thought I'd re-record a little history of this project as I am one of only a few people who've seen it from its humble start to becoming the number one fitness program in the country. There used to be an online "scrap book" about its formation but it's been down for a few years. My account will be different, anyways (feeling a bit Deadwood-ish with this 'anyways' insert), since my involvement was more behind the scenes and technical. If you check in over the next 90 days I'll shed some light on its evolution. Besides an account of my suffering as I get back into proper birthday challenge shape, I'll recount a few yarns about the story of P90x. You'll learn a bit about why 90x was formed, why it works the way it does, and some of the stumbling blocks we overcame along the way.

Once again I find myself in terrible shape (this is relative, of course). I have some personal info that will serve as an excuse when it's announced but, excuses or not, this is a pattern that I often fall in to. It's really by choice to a degree. I enjoy the journey of getting back into shape. I also find recovery/rest/lazy phases important for not just body recovery but for mental stimulation as well. Without motivation all endeavors are compromised. My post challenge fallout generally begins feeling listless and ends when my motivation comes back. This year, it's a been a bit longer than normal.

This time, however, I have no huge objective to train for. This mean that my latest round of the X will be less abridged to accommodate my sports specific training than usual. I generally have a huge amount of outside training that I need to do, which changes the X routine. For example, here's my X schedule training for my 2003 birthday challenge:

P90x Training Schedule

This year I'm quite busy so I'm going to focus on recovery, overall body conditioning, and rehab to build myself back up to doing some bigger challenges next year. I still have some nagging injuries from last year's little epics. I have some arthritis in both my hands and feet--common for climbers/untrarunners etc. I have other issues in one knee and one foot. But both are more chronic than acute (though my December "ankle"--actually foot--sprain was worse than I'd originally thought). Anyways (really, if they can say this all the time in a show that wins heaps of writing awards...), the cure for nagging injuiries is to get your body into tip top condition. The fitter you are the more you resist breakdown. Doing sports all the time creates overuse and you become out of balance, muscularly. An intense program like the X brings everything back into balance, or homeostasis. And this gives you more capacity to thrash your body in whatever endeavors you pick up next.

So, okay, that's enough for today. I've a lot to do. I'm going to take before and after photos, which is something that I never do. Frankly, they won't look like too much. I'm out of shape but hardly fat--though I call myself fat constantly. What's really going to change is my performance. This will be huge. So I'm going to subject myself to a fit test today. Ohhhh, and it's going to suck. Bad. I can't believe that just a few months ago I was fit enough to do this:

2007 Birthday Challenge

Don't just train hard; train smart.
Steve

Fit Test

I knew this was going to be ugly as I'm about as un-fit as I've been in some time. Not fat or overweight but, decidedly, not fit. I'm going to post a before pic this week but nothing is going to do this program justice like the test I just took. Here are the vitals.

I almost never weigh myself and don't have a scale so that didn't happen. Frankly, I don't care. Ditto for body fat %. Those scales are wrong anyway. They only matter to tell you if you're going up or down, which you can also tell by pinching your fat areas. I don't expect--nor want it to--my weight to change much. I do expect my body fat to go down. It will. I don't need any stats.

Next up, pull-ups.

15, pretty strict. A bit of swing but no kip. Target at end: 30

Vertical leap, 18". Don't recall measuring this since high school when it was about 30". Also don't care much about it. Still, let's see if I can hit 25"

Toe touch, +4. I would think this will improve.

Push-up, 30. This is terrible. 60 is possible.

Wall squat, 2:30. Since I've never cared about such things, and still don't, I can only suppose this is awful. Doubling it seems reasonable.

Curl, 15 reps of 30 pounds. Don't do a lot of curls and don't care how many I can do.

In & outs, 45. I did this wrong and kept my upper body elevated. I remember doing over a 100 last time I tried. I supposed 120 should be my goal.

My HR was 56 when I began my warm-up. It finished the HR test at 170, counting (not monitor, which would be a bit more due to falling HR during count). Subsequent minutes at 100, 90, 75.

The worst thing is that I'll probably be sore tomorrow. Yikes.

Day 1 coming up. Tomorrow I'll post my schedule. Now I just need to write it.

Performance Enhancing Your Lifestyle

Interesting article on the wires today about doping, and how it's not just for sports but a way of American life. Here's an excerpt:

Delaware senator Joe Biden did in 2004 during a hearing on drugs in sports, "There is something simply un-American about [using PEDs]!"

But it's not un-American. It's entirely American, that search for an edge, that effort to be all you can be, that willingness to push the envelope. That's what Andy Pettitte was doing when he took HGH. That's what Debbie Clemens was doing when she took HGH. That's what male collegiate cheerleaders are doing when they bulk up on anabolic steroids so they can lift more weight, or more female cheerleaders, according to author Kate Torgovnick in her new book, Cheer! That's what a rapper is doing when he receives a package of PEDs at his hotel. That's what Schwarzenegger was doing when he loaded himself with steroids years ago. That's what Kevin and Peggy Hart are doing in the privacy of their bedroom with their HGH and their "test," now as familiar a morning ritual as tea and toast.

And here's a link to the entire article:

Steroids in America: The Real Dope

Million Dollar Body

I have a great job. I was reminded of this last week at our first annual Team Beachbody Million Dollar Body awards show. I'm not a big awards show person. I don't watch them. Don't want to go to them. And even when I've been nominated it's not really the way I like to spend my time. I'm an experience person. In Beachbody's case, a behind the scenes person. I like working with our trainers and members and watching them develop great programs and helping people change their lives. I generally consider awards shows a waste of time because the real awards have already happened.

HOWEVER...

This show was cool. I mean really friggin' cool. You'd have to be one cynical son-of-a-bitch not to be moved by the events last weekend. I've got to say that in all of my years working with health transformations it never gets old listening to our member's stories. And seeing it up in lights with some major production values was pretty amazing, especialy considering that when I began writing for Beachbody we had four employess: Carl, Jon, Heather and Heather (all still here). In fact, I met Jon approaching the venue--the Grove, bathed in spot lights--who noticed my impressed look, glanced up at the splendor, back and me, and laughed. "Who would have thought?" he said.

The awards show was just part of the event. There was also a coaches summit meeting. It was great to finally meet many of the people I've been working with virtually, many for many years. Being out of the office it was also great to see my old colleagues as well. It was cool to see how far MDB has come in just a year (now more than 5,000 coaches) and inspiring to think of ideas on how the summit could improve next year and how we can more readily get information out there to the coaches, who relay it to the world. By the end of the weekend you could see that we're more than just a small fitness company; we're a movement that could actually have a profound effect on the obesity epidemic.

I've got to add that it was also surprising to see how many people actually read this blog. Thanks! You've inspired me to try and do better with its content. I guess I'd better come up with some challenges for this year, too.

For anyone who missed it, you can watch some video at:

Million Dollar Body

I make sure and sign up for next year. I'm already looking forward to it.

See you there!

My New Hero

I don't understand retirement. Why would anyone spend their entire life figuring out what they want to do, getting better at it, and then quit?

I also don't understand slowing down, backing off, or abstaining from the things in life that make you happy. I tell this to people all the time and, generally, they react as if I'm either crazy or lying. My goal all along has been to experience life; find the things I like doing; and then doing those things until I die. Kind of like this guy who, as far as I can tell, has got it all figured out. 101 years old, working, training for races ("in my spare time"), drinking and smoking. I think I'm going to have to find myself a Pimlico Plumbers shirt. Cheers, mate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080305/lf_nm_life/britain_marathon_dc

"My doctor told me that if I take perfect care of myself for the rest of my life, I'll get very sick and die." - Rodney Dangerfield

What Could be Cooler Than A...

Birthday Challenge?

The more I see others doing them the more I can answer "nothing". Micah's challenge this weekend was epic. But more than that--because many things qualify as epic these days--it was cool. And fun. And, I'll bet if you ask him, he'd tell you that it was rather meaningful and life altering also.

Here is a slide show from Bob's web site.

Because they're so personal, birthday challenges seem to enable each participant to break through barriers and sort out some meaning about how we amble through life like little else I've seen. Unlike sports, classes, books or self-help seminars, all of which are designed for mass participation, the personal nature of these challenges gives them a uniqueness like little else. They may be ridiculous, serious, silly or extreme but one thing they all share is that they are a reflection of the personality and dreams of an individual. And what could be cooler than that?

Here are two challenge blogs that I posted today.

Micah

Catra

above pic: Catra and friends during 43 hours of running.

Insane Eiger Speed Record

While I'm still sitting on my ass trying to figure out what this year's training objectives--other than a full knee recovery--are going to be other people are still out there gettin' after it. Like this guy. If this wasn't so out-there-friggin' fast I might be inspired. Instead, it just makes me feel fat and ineffectual. No, that's completely untrue. It's totally inspiring. But not in my usual "I can beat that" way but in a "oh-my-God! That is completely otherworldly" kind of way. This is so fast it's completely ridiculous.

Eiger Speed Record

But wait, there's more!

Skinny Fat

So I've been home for a month and am probably in the worst shape I've been in this decade. After a few weeks of nursing some post-challenge injuries I headed off to India where I managed to lose 15 pounds of muscle. This means that I weigh less than I did during my bd challenge but my body fat percentage is higher. Skinny fat; that's what I am. Same thing happened to my friends Trent and Dawn, an uber-fit couple who also shedded a lot of muscle in Nepal. You walk a lot, do pretty much no intense exercise, eat bad food, breathe polluted air, and battle dysentary. The result: skinny fat.

However, I've been back a month. Long enough to reverse this except for, well, battling some sort of Asian monkey virus that passed to Romney just as I was beating it, which has essentially kept me grounded. I'm finally healed up, completely out of excuses, and find my self with no goals for 2008 except to heal a couple of nagging injuries. Talking to the red capped cashier (thankfully no speedo though) at the Wild Oats last night got me thinking about my rumored retirement (no, damnit, I'm not old) and the words of the late Kingsley "Ned" Zissou, "What's next for Team Zissou?"

(dictated but not read)

pic - our equity partner, Ned

Early Season

"Your muscles are coming back," said Romney last night. And, sure enough, after less than a week of my first real training since my birthday challenge I'm starting to feel normal again. This week I took advantage of the upcoming end of the world and biked and climbed in absurdly warm Feb weather. The first two rides I suffered like a dog. Yesterday I'd already come up a notch and could easily turn a bigger gear. Climbing-wise, last weekend I was falling off of 5.11s that I normally warm up on. Yesterday, I one-hanged the last hard route I did in the fall (okay, not hard by any sort of standard except my current one but, ya know, 12c). It feels good to be training again. Injuries could be a problem, but that's another story.

We also dieted this week. It was an easy diet, relatively, but no diet is truly easy. Otherwise it wouldn't be a diet. The rules were simple: no sugars or grains or junky fats. So all fruits, veggies, meat, and good oil (olive, basically) was on. No other junk. With 5 (aghast!) pounds to lose it was Romney's first diet ever. On day three I received this rather-poetic text:

Our diet has brought me to a near death experience and I'm pretty sure the light at the end of the tunnel is reflecting off of a loaf of warm golden brown bread. You can't stop me. I'm walking towards it.

Goodbye cruel, grainless world. Goodbye.

I was excited that she'd given up because it meant that I could, too. But, alas, it was all a rouse a we met a bit later for some salad. After Romney nearly passed out at her uber-Gym Jones-ian workout Thursday we did say good-bye to the grainless world for the weekend. Next week will be round two.

With no goals of my own this year, Ben has roped me into a climbing pyramid. If we complete it I'll redpoint my hardest route in a decade this year. While that seems light years away at the moment, I'm keen to have a go since we can do this all without having to drive more than an hour. Living in Utah rocks.

Bike n' Booze: For A Long Healthy Life

This may be the best news I've ever heard.

Maybe Bikes & Booze Do Mix



If you enjoy a post-ride beer you may be increasing the heart-healthy benefits of cycling.

A study in Denmark, biking capital of the world, has found that drinking alcohol in moderation seems to have benefits similar to exercise. This research, reported in Time's Feb. 4 issue, is significant in that it was conducted on 12,000 people over a 20-year period.

It was found that exercise and drinking alcohol each had an independent beneficial effect on the heart. Mainly, an increase in good cholesterol (HDL) and the removal of fatty deposits created by bad cholesterol (LDL) in blood vessel walls.

The study also determined that drinking and exercise combine to have a greater health benefit than either alone. The Danish researchers defined four categories and found that . . .

people who never drink and don't exercise had the highest risk of heart disease.

people who never drink but do exercise had a 30% lower risk.

people who drink moderately but never exercise had a 30% lower risk.

people who drink moderately and exercise had a 50% lower risk.

Now, before you swap your Endurox for a 6-pack of Pabst, here are the caveats:

A research team spokesman, Dr. Morten Gronbaek of Denmark's National Institute of Public Health, says the benefits of alcohol don't kick in until you're at the age -- 45 to 50 -- where heart disease becomes an appreciable risk.

"There's absolutely no proof of a preventative and protective effect before age 45," Gronbaek told Time. Further, alcohol consumption is related to an increase in breast cancer among women, and anyone who has a family history of alcoholism should steer clear no matter what their age.

The study imposed a limit of one drink a day for women and two for men. It did not distinguish among beer, wine and liquor. It calls for common sense in determining a "moderate" amount: a 12-oz. beer and a double martini are far different even though they fit in the same size glass.

Good Artificial Sweetener Article

I should be blogging more regularly soon. In the mean time, more and more press from the real world is backing up some stuff that I've been yammering on about for years. This is from yesterday's LA Times.

Researchers think the sweetener blunted lab rats' ability to burn off calories from their regular food portions.

By Denise Gellene, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 11, 2008

Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food.

The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the calorie-free artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat.

Related Stories
- With faux sugars, real suspicion

Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the latest report, said the study offered a possible explanation for the unexpected association between obesity and diet soda found in recent human studies.

Researchers have puzzled over whether diet soda is a marker for poor eating habits or diet soda ingredients cause people to put on pounds, she said. "This rat study suggests a component of the artificial sweetener may be responsible for the weight gain."

Steffen's own recent research has shown that people who drink diet soda have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of symptoms including obesity -- than do people who drink regular soda. Her research was published last month in the American Heart Assn.'s journal Circulation.

An industry group rejected Sunday's report.

"The causes of obesity are multifactorial," said a statement by Beth Hubrich, a dietitian with the Calorie Control Council, which represents low- and reduced-calorie food and beverage marketers. "Although surveys have shown that there has been an increase in the use of 'sugar-free' foods over the years, portion sizes of foods have also increased, physical activity has decreased and overall calorie intake has increased."

The number of Americans who consume soda, yogurt and other products containing sugar-free sweeteners more than doubled to 160 million in 2000 from fewer than 70 million in 1987, according to the report. Over the same period, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults rose to 30% from 15%.

One interpretation of the trends is that people have been turning to lower-calorie foods to control an increasing problem with weight gain.

An alternative interpretation is that artificial sweeteners lead to biological or behavioral changes that cause people to eat more. This possibility is easier to test in rats than in people because scientists can control the animals' diets and measure exactly what they eat, said the study's lead author, Susan E. Swithers, an associate professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University in Indiana.

In the experiment, funded by the National Institutes of Health and by Purdue, nine rats received yogurt sweetened with saccharin and eight rats received yogurt sweetened with glucose, which is close in composition to table sugar. After receiving their yogurt snack, the animals were given their usual chow.

At the end of five weeks, rats that had been fed sugar-free yogurt gained an average of 88 grams, compared with 72 grams for rats that dined on glucose-sweetened yogurt, a difference of about 20%. Rats fed sugar-free yogurt were consuming more calories and had 5% more body fat.

In a related experiment, scientists gave the two groups of rats a sugary drink and measured changes in the animals' body temperatures. Body temperatures typically rise after a meal because it takes energy to digest food.

The rats in the saccharin group experienced a smaller average temperature increase, scientists said -- a sign that regular consumption of artificial sweeteners had blunted their body's response to sweet foods, making it harder for the animals to burn off their extra calories.

Swithers said that normally, sweet tastes signal that the body is about to receive a lot of calories, and the digestive system prepares to react. When sweet tastes aren't followed by lots of calories, as in the case of artificial sweeteners, the body becomes conditioned against a strong response.

Although the experiment looked only at saccharin, other artificial sweeteners may have the same effect, Swithers said.

A controlled study is needed to determine whether sweeteners have the same effect in people as in rats, she said, but some epidemiological studies have been consistent with her findings.

Swithers' next step, she said, will be to determine whether dietary changes could reverse the rats' physiological responses.

Adam Drewnowski, director of the nutrition sciences program at the University of Washington, cautioned against interpreting the results broadly.

"It is unreasonable to claim that results obtained studying saccharin in rats translate to every sweetener in humans," said Drewnowski, who has received research funding from the beverage industry in the past.

He added: "We now have studies showing that sugar calories are associated with obesity and the absence of sugar is associated with obesity. Pity those people trying to do something about obesity."

Super Bowl Sunday

I used to play football but now I could not care about it less. I haven't watched an NFL game in years and don't plan to begin today. The only thing I like about Super Bowl Sunday is that there are less people playing outdoors...

But this video is the best thing about the NFL I've seen this year, if not ever. It almost makes me want to watch the game, if just to think about how Hitler might be reacting. I do follow headlines enough to know that Tom Brady is injured, which I think is what those looks at the end are about. This (except for the 5th grade spelling errors) is incredibly well done.

A Few Words On Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who made the first ascent of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, died today. Here is what I wrote to the Nacirema Drinking Society:

This is so strange. This is a man who was profoundly influential on my life. The first thing that inspired me to climb was the book High in the Thin Cold Air, by Ed Hillary. On the cover was Amadablam, the mountain that inspired me to climb mountains. In fact, I was writing a blog on this topic, still unfinished, just this morning. I read everything that Hillary had written prior to ever lacing up a pair of boots. Hillary always reminded me of my dad. And here I am, in Nepal, Hillary's true home (he was the New Zealand ambassador and did a ton of work on the schools here) and most likely even drinking Everest beer, with Tenzing on the label, when he dies. Life can be poetic in the oddest sense.

I would recommend Chang as drink of the month but am afraid I'd be the only one who could procure some. In lieu of anything else particularly Hillary-esqe, I'll second a Beefeater martini and I'll find myself a few later this evening. After all, he was knighted by the Queen.

"I don't remember much about those seven days (stuck in a snow storm on Cho Oyu) except that somewhere around day 4 or 5 George (Lowe, Kiwi not ours) came over, stuck his head inside my tent and said, 'You know, Ed, some people wouldn't think this was fun. (sic)"

This is from memory from one reading of his first autobiography, Nothing Venture, Nothing Win (now out of print and nearly impossible to find), back in the early 80s. Influential is no exaggeration.

So tonight raise a glass to one of the most important people in my life who, at least, is directly responsible for me spending a good portion of my life in the thin cold air.

Cheers Ed. Ya done good, mate.

Everest View

I’m not sure if I’ll ever travel again without at least some sort of athletic agenda. No matter what I’m distracted by, I spend most of my travel time wanting to be active. Conversely, I think the only way that I can relax and actually enjoy my new experiences is if I’ve been able to placate those demons that keep demanding that I push my body to the wall.

Yesterday I finally got a free day in Nepal and needed to do something that would hurt. I’d inquired with some trekking companies but they didn’t seem to understand my needs. The major treks from this area were all too long (15 days to Everest Base Camp) to be seriously contemplated in a day. The minor ones all seemed way too easy.

One of the minor treks visited an “Everest view point” in the range outside of town. It involved a two hour drive to the start and a pick up at the end. None of this sat well with me. However, looking at the course on the map I could see how it might be good on a mtn bike. So I decided to have a go at it.

I found a shop that rented mountain bikes and began going over their stock. I felt like an old west gunslinger picking a weapon as I brushed aside the sales clerk and began rifling through the bikes. I looked at components, tires, condition of each bike before choosing one. I gave it a quick once over, inflated the tires to the proper pressure, then rode it out the door, down the steps, did a bunny hop turn in the hallway and rode back in. The entire process had taken me about one minute. “I’ll take it.”

They gave me a map and inquired about an itinerary. “Nagarkot viewing platform,” I said. His reply was to ask me how many days I needed the bike. “What time do you close?” He tried to tell me what I was trying was “not possible” so I just said “maybe I’ll go somewhere else then. See you before 5,” and was off.

I hadn’t been on a bike in a month and it felt so good I can’t even describe it. I rode into the crowded streets of Thamel and began what was, essentially, a trials ride (for me) through the traffic. Out of the inner city I hit commuter traffic, which was a hoot. Driving in Asia is rather crazy. There seem to be no rules at all. But, as I’ve said before, a survivalist world is one that I thrive in and I’m quit certain that I was the fastest moving vehicle in Kathmandu yesterday. I bobbed and weaved my way through carts, busses, autos, motorcycles, and trucks. This “Sega game”, a term made up by some French guys who we’ve been hanging with who travel around on motor bikes continued for about an hour until I reached the tourist town of Baktapur.



Outside of town thing began to slowly change. I gradually moved up out of the smog and into open countryside. My breathing, which has been erratic and clunky for most to the trip, began to normalize. I stopped coughing for the first time in weeks. As I gained elevation I became more and more at ease and soon my body felt like it was reaching a state of homeostasis for the first time since I’d been in Asia.





My bike, a low-range Giant mtn bike, was perfect. It made me again realize how much money we waste on the highest grade of components and other silly stuff. This bike probably costs less than my friend Dustin spends for monthly upgrades on his race bike. And it was fine. It was reasonably light, well tuned, shifted and brakes well, and the pedals turned without interference. Sure, I’d be a touch faster on something else but no amount of money could heighten the experience I was having.

My first break was when I crested the hillside and got my first fairly close view of the Himalaya. It was breathtaking. A bus of Bulgarian tourists stopped and spoiled my solace, but it at least offered a chance to get a photo with me in it. One of the women looked around and asked, “are you alone?” After my affirmative and that my destination was “wherever the road ended” she added “you don’t mind being up here not knowing where you’ll sleep?” Man, haven’t any of these people ever heard of the Tour de France? I was probably only 30 or so kilometers and 3,000’ above Kathmandu. You’d have thought I was in Tibet.



The final climb up to the viewing tower had some seriously steep pitches and my legs were getting wobbly. It took actual effort to ride it non-stop, which was exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately, the clouds were rolling in and my Everest views were a bit skewed. The place was trashed, literally, and kind of depressing. But you could still see the majesty of the range—and this was a range I’d been reading about since I was a kid. I was okay with the downside.

On my descent I explored some dirt roads and found some off swanky hotels with Himalayan views that were filled with rich-looking tourists sipping cocktails or something. I’m not sure why but this blew my buzz. It all seemed so… Imperialist or something. So I headed down.



The ride home kinda sucked. Dropping back into the pollution was pretty miserable. It made me want to go home to my mountains. I was just wearing normal trousers and had decent saddle sores, which weren’t helping. I also hadn’t eaten and had a little bonk going. I only perked up once I got back to my bike messenger-esque riding through traffic where I felt it my duty to remain the fastest vehicle on the road.

I turned the bike in at 4:30. The guy asked where I rode. I told him but am pretty sure he didn’t believe me.

The Sound of Infinity

In my youth I read a lot about India, almost all of which centered on the spiritual. Stories of Imperialists were often rousing good fun but it was the sacred side of India that captivated me. The side the read the Upanishads, the place where Buddha become enlightened, where Maughm’s character from The Razor’s Edge finally exorcised “polite” society to discover the truth in life.

The India I finally arrived in was slightly different. A cacophony of sounds and smells perhaps unlike anywhere else on earth. If India is the spiritual center of the universe it must be because it’s so difficult to be spiritual here. Ones entire existence can easily be filled with nothing but distraction. Driving is more hazardous than a demolition derby. A simple walk can have you literally shaking beggars off your limbs. Your clothes become so dirty that you either wash them daily or just stop caring. For the average westerner, it’s a full scale assault on every one of your senses.

I spent my first week or so in one place and, soon enough, was rolling with it. India just became another place where anything was possible. It had good things, bad things, stuff I loved and stuff I loathed. By the time I was to leave Kolkata, I’d declared it my favorite polluted city on earth.

But touring was different. Kolkata, while mad and crazy and frantic seemed real. Out on the tourist’s path the assault was direct intervention. It was calculated. It was boring—a bit like Disneyland gone apocalyptic. I hate tourists and I never wanted to be one. Now I was.

Christmas at the Taj

Still, seeing the Taj Mahal seemed worth a sacrifice. This monumental expression of love was something it would be hard to be in striking distance of and ignore. Sure, the story may have involved some less than stellar people exploiting thousands of others for their selfish, over-the-top lifestyle, but who was I to judge a life that happened centuries ago? I wanted to experience it for myself.

But the idea of viewing it with thousands of others didn’t appeal to me. Night tours were said to be unpopular so I was hoping to catch one but, apparently, they were so unpopular that they were no longer an option. Then I heard about the sound of infinity.

The Taj is flawlessly constructed and the main chamber is said to be acoustically perfect. However, given there are hoards of people in it virtually every second its open experiencing this is difficult to do. Apparently if you do get yourself some time alone you can experience something called “the sound of infinity,” which is a subtle “whoosing” sound made when air circulates through the chamber. This sounded like it could evoke something of spiritual India. Now I just needed to figure a way to make it happen.

Our guide would pick us up at 6am, which I’d heard was when the Taj opened. Being India, the freest country in the world, I knew it would open whenever someone with a key was motivated to let people in. So I told everyone I’d see them there, then got up around 4 and went for a run.

I was surprised to see people on the streets at this hour. And even more surprised to pass a few runners. By the time I approached the Taj things were already bustling. At the gate my heart sank when I saw a short line of people being let inside.

With no other option I bought my ticket and kept running. The main viewing/photo op area was a zoo of people setting up for the sunrise. Beyond this, I was alone. I checked my shoes and found my way up to the main chamber. I couldn’t hear a sound as I stepped through the entrance. And then, “Please sir, I am guide.”

I politely refused but the guy wasn’t having any. He kept talking. His voice echoed beautifully off the ceiling but I that’s not why I was there. When I finally got him to quiet down someone else walked in. I moved around to the back and was still as possible and tried to hear through them. The sound in this room was incredible. The guide chanted “om” towards the ceiling and it was the most moving om I’d heard. But it wasn’t why I was there. I stood totally still and quiet and waited. Then they both walked out. I was alone.

It took a while for the sound to stop reverberating off of the walls. When it finally did, there was still a sound. A faint whoosh filled the chamber: the sound of infinity. Subtle, beautiful; it constantly changed based on any movement. I closed my eyes and tried to empty my head for a second. It was magic. It was also strangely familiar.

It dawned on me that I’ve heard this sound before; in the mountains. It’s almost the exact sound of standing alone on a summit on a clear quiet day. The subtleties were different but everything else felt the same. I could see why this was so moving to people. Most never see, or feel, a summit. And others the do are rarely alone. In my life, I get to hear the sound of infinity constantly. Perhaps it’s why John Muir described the first ascent of Cathedral Peak as “the first time I’ve been to church”. The mountains were my cathedrals. No human could rebuild them. A moment later the guide was back with another client, chatting incessantly.

I walked outside and ran into Jayda, a girl I’d met in Delhi who was traveling through Asia alone. I told her about the “sound” but when we went back in the crowds had gathered. The chance was lost until closing. We then found my family. They’d missed it too. Though they didn’t really understand they seemed genuinely happy that I’d done whatever I was attempting.

The crowds intensified—loud, obnoxious; more worried about how they looked in photos than trying to experience the grandeur of the monument. My sister’s boyfriend, a photographer, shared stories of the sunrise photo madness where an American—“of course”—had placed himself in front of everyone and refused to even crouch so others could get photos—his is overt disdain for anyone else’s problems only placated by a guard wielding a shotgun. I had enough of the crowds and, without a word, I slipped away.

Walking back to the hotel I was approached by a rickshaw. “Please sir, nobody is allowed to walk in India. Get in.”

“What about Gandhi,” I countered. “Didn’t he walk everywhere?”

The kid looked disgusted and with a wave of his hand was off. Yep, India had changed. But amongst the madness I found my moment of magic. It would have to be enough.