Sat. morning exercise: a circuit and suicides

On Saturday morning, it had been 48 hours since my last anaerobic exercise.  I wanted to have moderately intensive and fairly short session.

I didn’t have any pre-exercise protein or post-exercise protein today; I try to follow a principle of keeping the body guessing on what is coming next so sometimes I have whey protein and sometimes I don’t.

I began the session with 3 minutes of warm up (shadow boxing and karate kicks).  Then I did the following circuit of exercises twice, taking about 4 seconds on the eccentric (negative) motions except on burpees and having about 5-20 seconds rest between exercises:

1. Burpees (10)
2. Pseudo-planche push ups (the hands on this push up are positioned backward by the waist)
3. Reverse curls using stretch tubing
4. Hammer curls using stretch tubing
5. Hindu push ups
6. Push ups with elevated feet and wide position of hands

Then I did 8-yard suicides for about 4 minutes sprinting forward, backward, and sideways.   I finished with 3 sets of 10 step-jumps using both legs. 

The entire session took 22 minutes.  I felt great.  My forearms, deltoids, and upper chest muscles felt pumped; I like the way my chest feels and looks after push ups.  Oh yeah, Honky Tonk by Kal David is sounding extremely wonderful right now; my appreciation for music sky rockets after anaerobic exercise.

 

5 funny movie scenes to release growth hormone

Research has shown that the anticipation of seeing a funny video was enough to reduce stress hormones and increase growth hormone.  Research has found that laughter stimulates the release of growth hormone so watching funny movies, TV shows, and other laugh-producing things are healthy. 

Chronic mental/emotional stress hampers the release of growth hormone; when I become aware that I am mentally/emotionally stressed I may use one of a couple different techniques to try to come back to a “feeling good state” quickly.   Of course, it is not possible to watch a funny movie every time to come out of your mental/emotional stress state.

For the last couple of weeks, I have been recalling funny scenes from movies to reach (or enhance) a “feeling good state” and it seems to help.  Although I don’t laugh out loud when I recall a funny scene, I seem to consistently achieve an inner smile and a slightly enhanced well-being.  If I am falling asleep for the night or for a nap, I just repeat visualizing the same scene instead of “working” to remember other funny scenes; when falling asleep I hope that recalling a funny scene will give a boost to the release of growth hormone that occurs at the beginning stages of sleep.

Here are 5 funny movie scenes:

1. Steve Martin in Parenthood.  Steve does an elated dance at a baseball game when his uncoordinated and meek son finally catches a fly ball.
2. Ben Stiller in There’s Something About Mary.  When he is being questioned by the police, he thinks he is being charged with picking up a hitchhiker when the police are really questioning him about a murder.
3. Rob Schneider in Deuce Bigalow.  Deuce is impressed by the real gigalow in many ways and especially when the gigalow goes to the bathroom to pee, it sounds like water from a hose hitting a lake.
4. John Candy in The Great Outdoors.  John is stuffed after finishing a giant steak at a restaurant in order to get his meal for free — then he is told that he has to also eat an inch-thick piece of fat that surrounded the steak.
5. Dustan Hoffman in Tootsie.  “Tootsie” has to share a bed with the soap opera star at her father’s farm.

What are some of your favorite funny movie scenes?  Let me know in a comment.

 

A fast from Thur. noon to Fri. noon

It’s Friday morning as I write this post and I am in the middle of a one day fast.  My last meal was at noon on Thursday and I will eat again at noon today (Friday).  A fast seems to be a good way to release more growth hormone, lose weight, improve the body’s efficiency at using nutrients, and eats up unhealthy cells.

On Thursday afternoon and evening, I performed easy tasks around my yard and it was easy for me to forget about eating; fasting seems to be getting easier to do, perhaps because I have been more active outside than in previous fasting days.  Last weekend I did a 2 day fast which seemed to result in greater energy and vitality in the days following the fast; however I don’t know if and when I will do another 2 day fast.

On Friday morning, I jogged for 2 miles and was pleased that I could run continuously; I think this was my third attempt at jogging although I have been running sprints for over a year.  Jogging uses different muscles than sprinting and I would like to maintain my ability to jog for 2 miles although I don’t plan on doing it much. 

Aerobic exercise also releases growth hormone although research has shown that aerobic exercise doesn’t release as much growth hormone as anaerobic exercise; I wonder if more growth hormone is released when a person just starts a jogging program compared to seasoned joggers.

I felt great after the jog and I was sweating profusely.  I did not feel weak and I still had spring in my step.

Thur. exercise: circuit exercise for arms, shoulders, back and chest

On Thursday morning, it had been 48 hours since my last anaerobic exercise session which had focused on my legs.  I wanted Thursday’s session to be an intense one for arms, shoulders, lats, and chest. 

About 30 minutes prior to exercise, I took 12 grams of whey isolate as a secretagogue/pre-exercise protein.

I started the session with 3 minutes of warm up exercises.  Then I did the following circuit of exercises twice trying to take 3-4 seconds on the eccentric motions, doing the concentric motions explosively, and resting 10-20 seconds between exercises:

1. Chin ups
2. Dips
3. One arm standing press ups with 35 lb dumbbell
4. Shoulder shrugs using 35 lb dumbbell
5. Horizontal rows using 35 lb dumbbell
6. Arm curls using 35 lb dumbbell
7. Side plank hip raise and lower
8. One arm push ups
9. Push ups with elevated feet and hands close together

The entire session took 26 minutes.  As soon as I finished exercising, I took 25 grams of whey isolate as post-exercise protein.  I felt great afterwards.

Funnily enough, I weighed 164.5 pounds this morning (which is on the high end of recent weigh-ins), but I almost needed to go to my last notch on my belt; I would have to agree with Rob Faigin, author of Natural  Hormonal Enhancement, who recommends judging progress by how clothes fit instead of weight gains/losses.  I recently enjoyed reading Rob Faigin’s second book, Hormonally Intelligent Exercise; although Rob prefers weight-lifting over bodyweight exercises in order to precisely reach 6-9 repititions before failure, I have started to apply many of his other recommendations; and by doing the eccentric/negative motions slowly and by minimizing rest between sets, I come close to the recommended 6-9 repititions before failure even with bodyweight exercises; (Rob thinks that 6-9 repetitions is optimal to stimulate growth hormone).

Soon I will be writing more about my experiences and opinions related Rob’s second book, my experiences with cold showers/cold swimming, and my experiences on laughter to stimulate the release of growth hormone.

 

Tues. exercise: running sprints, lunges, jump tucks, skipping

On Tuesday morning, it had been 48 hours since my last anaerobic exercise; however I was more active than usual this weekend working around the yard, garden, and swimming pool.  I wanted to have a moderately intense session that focused on my legs.

Just before starting to exercise, I took 2 grams of glutamine as a secretagogue/pre-exercise protein; I would have taken the glutamine 30 minutes prior to exercising if I hadn’t forgot to take it when I got up this morning.

I began my exercise session by warming up by jogging, running backwards, and sideways for 4 minutes.  Then I ran four 20-second sprints with 100 seconds between sprints; running sprints is a good way to stimulate the release of growth hormone and I enjoy the challenge of running as fast as I can.

Then I did the following circuit twice using jogging as a way to catch my breath between exercises:

1. Side lunges (5 per leg)
2. Jump tucks (10)
3. Jump lunges in which I skip forward when coming out of the lunge (5 per leg) 
4. Skipping for height (10 per leg)

The entire session took 21 minutes.  When I jogged after the lunges and jumps, my legs felt weak, (but an hour later I had good spring in my legs as I ran up stairs). 

I felt great after the session.  I took 25 grams of whey isolate as post-exercise protein.  After a hot shower, I ended with 3 minutes of a cold shower allowing the cold water to do its magic on my legs; cold water apparently stimulates endogenous antioxidants that help muscles heal and re-build.

Laughter to release growth hormone

Here’s a link to an interesting article about some 2006 laughter research.  This is a quote from the article:  “Mirthful laughter diminishes the secretion of cortisol and epinephrine, while enhancing immune reactivity. In addition, mirthful laughter boosts secretion of growth hormone, an enhancer of these same key immune responses. The physiological effects of a single one-hour session viewing a humorous video has appeared to last up to 12 to 24 hours in some individuals,” Berk noted, “ while other studies of daily 30-minute exposure produces profound and long-lasting changes in these measures. 

This particular study showed that even the anticipation of watching a funny video had a significant healthful effect.

In the past I have enjoyed watching Funniest Home Videos TV show as a reliable means to achieve laughter, sometimes achieving a prolonged deep belly laugh.  I also  have a smiling response to remembering some scenes in Steve Martin’s movie, Three Amigos or in Ben Stiller’s movie, There’s Something About Mary .  Maybe one way to help achieve a greater release of growth hormone would be to get better at recalling funny scenes in movies or real life and then recall those scenes during the day or while falling asleep.

In the last week, I tried my rather weak version of Laughter Yoga which was basically making the sounds of laughter and trying to get to real laughter; it didn’t seem worth the effort to me.

My 2 day fast (Fri. noon to Sun. noon)

Here’s a simply-standing pose after the 2-day fast.

Here’ a muscle pose after the 2-day fast.

I am pleased with my muscular development although it doesn’t come close to what 54-year-old Mark Sisson displays in this photo.  I weighed 164.5 pounds on Friday morning; I weighed 161 pounds on Sunday morning.

My last meal was 12 noon on Friday.  I took a nap about 5 pm Friday while listening to music; a nap is one of the ways to increase the release of growth hormone and I find it pleasant to fall asleep while listening to music.  On Friday evening, I worked at a slow pace around my garden and around my swimming pool.

Saturday was a nice sunny 70 degree day.  My energy level was relatively low but I was able to work on my swimming pool and yard for about 10 hours.  I was like the tortoise in the tortoise and hare fable; I moved slow but I moved steadily all day (except for a 25 minute nap at 4 pm).  My digestive system was giving me hunger sensations, but it was fairly easy to avoid the good-smelling food that my wife prepared for herself; I didn’t have craving for any particular food.  As I worked, the music on my Ipod sounded great; I believe that a surge of growth hormone increases the enjoyment of music.

On Saturday evening, I was ready to sit down and watch a movie.  I also couldn’t resist looking at myself in a mirror since my abdomen felt thin.

On Sunday morning, I wanted to have an anaerobic session of low intensity.  After warming up for about 4 minutes, with shadow boxing, karate kicks, and trunk twists, I was able to do 4 handstand push ups.  Then I did the following circuit three times with 30-60 seconds rest between exercises:

1. 6-count Burpees (10)
2. Hindu pushups going down slow (10)
3. Mountain climber (15 steps with each leg)
4. Hammer curls with stretch tubing (10)
5. Reverse curls with stretch tubing (10)

Then I went outside to run 10-yard suicides on my sidewalk interspersing running forward, backwards, and sideways to exercise quite a few leg muscles; I probably gave my neighbors a good laugh watching me.  The entire exercise session took 28 minutes today.

After exercising, I drank some water and then wrote part of this post while listening to music.  I noticed heightened alertness, that my forearms were pumped and fatigued, and that the music sounded great.  As I wrote, I wanted to stop writing to focus solely on the music.

In previous posts I have used the word “antsy” to describe an experience which I think may be caused by an increased release of growth hormone; I didn’t notice feeling antsy during my fast with the possible exception of thinking about eating food.  Maybe I didn’t feel antsy because I was physically active for most of the time.  I did notice several times that I was half-dancing to the beat of the music as I worked in my yard.

During this fast, I wanted to be aware if I had heightened appreciation of music and compare the appreciation from the first and second day of the fast.  Research has shown that there is a 5 fold increase in the release of growth hormone on the second day of a fast; since my glycogen stores are normally low from anaerobic exercise I postulate that a one-day fast would achieve a similar increase of growth hormone as 2-day fast for people who have substantial glycogen stored.  After doing a 2-day fast, I am inclined to think that a 2-day fast accomplishes more than a one-day fast in that the body has a much bigger adaptation challenge and appreciation of music seemed to be slightly greater; I especially enjoyed music on Sunday morning after completing anaerobic exercise while fasting.  As I wrote on my “Be tough in a comfy world” page, I think it is healthy to adapt to brief stresses; I think a one-day fast is a brief stress, but I am not sure if it would be healthy to regularly do a 2-day fast.  I’ll decide later on how long to fast and how often to fast.

 

Fri. makeshift exercise and a plan for a 2 day fast

On Friday morning, it had been 48 hours since my last anaerobic exercise.  I had wanted to have a longer more intense session today, but I overslept.  I ended up doing a short makeshift session.

Thirty minutes before exercising, I ate 25 grams of whey isolate as a secretagogue/pre-exercise protein.

After briefly warming up with some easy arm and shoulder movements and trunk twists, I did the following circuit twice:

1. Chin ups (coming down as slowly as possible)
2. Dips (coming down slowly)
3. Overhead press ups while standing with 35 lb dumbbell
4. Arm curls with 35 lb dumbbell
5. Overhead tricep extensions with 35 lb dumbbell
6. Horizontal  rows with 35 lb dumbbell

It took about 12 minutes to do the above circuit twice.  Then I had another 25 grams of whey isolate as post-exercise protein.

Later in the morning I did some hand squeezes with a rubber ball.  And later I did 3 sets of one leg squats doing 5 reps per leg.  This was enough exercise to make my arms feel pumped and my legs fatigued.  And I felt great.

I plan to do a 2 day fast from 1 pm Friday to 12 noon Sunday.  I want to observe the effects from the growth hormone surge during the fast; and in particular I will want to compare the enhanced appreciation of music during the second day of the fast.

 

 

Wed. exercise: running sprints and a short circuit

On Wednesday morning, it had been 48 hours since my last rather short anaerobic exercise session.  Today I wanted to have a session of moderate intensity.

About 30 minutes before exercising, I had 20 grams of whey isolate as a secretagogue/pre-exercise protein.

I began my exercise session by warming up with 5 minutes of jogging/running sideways/running backwards.  Then I did 4 running sprints of 20 seconds duration separated by 40 seconds of rest.

Then I did the following circuit twice and rested while jogging between exercises:

1. Side lunges (this is a new exercise for me so I only did 5 side lunges per leg)
2. Jump tucks (10)
3. Hand clap push ups (10)

The entire session took 22 minutes.  After the session, I took another 20 grams of whey isolate as a post-exercise protein.  Pre-exercise protein and post-exercise protein is somewhat controversial; some people say it is not necessary and actually blunts the release of growth hormone due to an insulin-release; others say that a ready supply of protein will help the body rebuild faster and help the body come out of the catabolic state sooner; I mix it up a bit by sometimes eating protein close to exercise and sometimes not.

After the session, I felt great.

Being tough in the Pacific Ocean

San Francisco had a uncharacteristic heat spell recently and fortunately I happened to be vacationing there.  I say ”fortunately” because I wanted to go swimming in the frigid waters of Limantour Beach (north of San Francisco).  My cold showers in recent weeks prepared me for the cold ocean.  A few people were wading in the ocean up to their knees, but besides the dogs, I was the only mammal who fully immersed in the extremely refreshing and shocking water.  Then I used the warm sandy beach to help me warm up. 

 

While on vacation, I was off my usual diet and exercise routines.  I did manage to do brief anaerbic exercises a couple times and I did a 4 mile hike around a mountain lake.  A different sleep schedule and flying are a couple of ways to toughen up, as I described in my last post.