My Eve of Christmas Eve Workout

Christmas Eve Eve this year is on a Saturday, my biggest workout day.  Since I am headed out of town later this morning I decide to get my workout in as early as possible.

Early as possible means 8:00 a. m. for that is when my gym opens.  I am there just as the doors are unlocked.  I like this time of day. The gym is not crowded and I can workout without having to wait.  During the week I go later in the evening because the early people have finished and are now leaving.
Today I am doing a workout of my own design, which is a variation of the Tabata system.  Tabata was developed for speed skaters and consists of doing 8 sets of all out sprints for 20 seconds and resting 10. I have adapted it to use for muscle gr oups. Today I'm headed for a full body workout.
It should be noted that I wouldn't wish this workout on anyone.  It hurts! It's not for the faint of heart either.  HIIT exercise is designed to create massive oxygen debt.  My own version does this quite well, as you will soon see.

I am going into this ordeal completely 'cold'.  Meaning I have eaten nothing since dinner last night. My blood sugar is already low, and the high energy work I'm going to do will, if the sports performance people are right, do great and cool things to my body.
So here goes:

I always start with upper back exercises for a couple of reasons.  First, these muscles are huge and my general philosophy is to work from the biggest muscle groups to the smallest.  Second, the back exercises I will be doing trigger biceps in a big way. Doing back first allows the biceps some recovery time while I work other muscle groups.  I will hit biceps specifically last.
This morning I set up two lat machines for use.  With the first, I will be pulling the handles almost straight down. The other machine pulls more from the front, like a seated row.  These two should give my latissimus dorsi a run for the money.  I put 6 plates on one (about 270lbs) and 4 on the other (about 180lbs).  The reason I am doing this is based on an article I read a few weeks back, extolling the virtues of heavy, then light exercises.  I've been testing that idea in my big workouts, and so far I like it.

I set my Tabata timer to exercise for 20 seconds and rest for another 20.  The rest period will give me time to move from one machine to the next.  The number of cycles is set to 6.  I know the standard number is 8, which I do on cardio days, but not for when working muscles.  Because I'll die.

I hit the 'go' button and it counts down 5 seconds before start.  The first 20 seconds I'm using the heavier weight and I get 10 reps.  After that I jump up and move to the other machine.  I wait the last few seconds of rest before starting and I perform this weight 20 times in the 20 seconds. Now I move back to the heavy machine for the next start.  I still do 10 reps this set, but it's much more difficult than the first.  I finished here a scant 40 seconds ago! I stay on this machine for the entire rest period and do a second set here.  Two heavy exercises in a row.  Then I move over and do the last two sets light, but this time I can't quite get 20 reps in.  I get around 15.

I originally did heavy-light for 3 rounds with this routine, but I messed up last week and ended up doing two heavy sets in a row, which I offset with two light.  To be perfectly honest, it seemed to  be more difficult that way, so I'm going to stick with it for a few more weeks.

At the end of my back routine 4 minutes has elapsed and I've lifted approximately 16,000 lbs.  I set the timer on my phone for two minutes.  That's my rest period between muscle groups.

Next up: Chest.  This part of the workout will be a little different because I injured my right shoulder a few months back, and it's pretty bad.  So I can no longer do bench press and certain shoulder moves.  On the bright side I can do dumbbell and cable exercises without causing much pain. (The bad kind of pain, not the discomfort of effort). I head to the cable machine and set it up. I have no idea what the weight is, but I'm going to estimate it as equivalent to two 40lb dumbbells.

This machine is harder to adjust for heavier and lighter weights, so I will be using the same weight for all 6 rounds.  I do change form, from more of a flye move to a pressing movement as fatigue sets in. For the duration of this exercise I stay in the 15 rep range.  This means by the end of another 4 minutes I've pushed about 7,200lbs.
By now I'm really breathing hard, and my triceps and chest are trembling from the exertion.  Feel the burn! I take off my warm up jacket and set another 2 minutes on the timer.  On to the next exercise.

Now I'm ready for legs and my heaviest routine.  Again, it's difficult the change weights around, so I'll stick with a single weight the whole time.  I put 14 plates and 2 25's on the machine (680lbs) and get ready. It takes some extra time to gather all the plates for they are scattered around the area. I wind up taking about 3 minutes rest. No matter, this is going to be quite demanding. I modify the Tabata timer for this exercise. Instead of 20 seconds on and 20 seconds off, I set the rest period for only 10 seconds. That way I'm starting a new cycle every 30 seconds. I start and burn through 6 rounds of 20 reps each. It's not easy! My legs are hurting by round 3 and it gets worse every succeeding round. 120 reps in 3 minutes, a whopping 81,000lbs! Leg work is so much fun. But remember I'm pushing the weight at a 45 degree angle, so it's not like I'm lifting this as dead weight. It's actually about 70% of the total, in the 400lb range.  Still, it looks impressive. Normally this would be my warm up weight. I've pushed over 1,000lbs on this machine. But it takes a lot of extra time and effort to load the plates! About 24 of them. And if anyone else is in the area I would be taking plates from them. I'd rather just do more reps.

By now I'm in serious oxygen debt, my legs are rubber and I'm walking funny. I'm glad they have a ramp and not steps back out to the main floor.

The next muscle group happens to be my least favorite, abs. However, I must do some token exercises for them and it keeps my heart rate up to burn more calories. I am headed to the lower back machine which is a cakewalk compared to what I just did. I set the machine for its heaviest weight (300) and crank out 20 reps. When I stand I get a major head rush. Everything goes dark for a few seconds and I have to just stand there until more oxygenated blood reaches my brain.  It passes and I go upstairs to the Roman Chair. There I perform 15 knee lifts, set my timer again and gulp some water.  Only one muscle group is left, biceps.

Here is another chance to do the heavy-light Tabata I started with. I set up an ez curl bar with 25lb plates and grab a pair of dumbbells. Then I reset the timer for 20 seconds work and 20 seconds rest. I begin with 10 reps on the bar, and 15 using the dumbbells.  That takes care of the first 2 rounds. Next I go 2 heavy cycles in a row, and end with 2 light rounds. Compared to the other muscle groups it's a paltry 3,500lbs total. Not a lot but let's face it Biceps are the smallest muscle group I've worked today.
That finishes my workout. It lasts about 40 minutes and by the end of that time I've lifted over 100,000lbs, the majority of that being legs. If I remember my Physics correctly the definition of Power is Work divided by Time.  That puts my average weight lifted per minute at around 2,500lbs. I'm feeling every bit of it.

Next up, nutrition therapy! A three egg omelet covered in cheese and my Saturday treat, coffee. Since it's winter I pour my coffee over powdered hot chocolate instead of cream or milk. I'm no nutritionist but I figure the caffeine and sugars will provide quick energy to my muscles to begin recovery so the protein can do its work. In the meantime my muscles are still trembling and I'm in such a state of oxygen debt that even scrambling the eggs causes me to gasp for air.

I'm going to feel this tomorrow for sure.

Candidate of the Apocalypse: Episode 18

Charles was speaking to a standing room only crowd at the Sheraton convention center in downtown San Francisco.  Over 600 people were in attendance. Charles took to the stage amid a standing ovation.  He spoke simply, with quiet authority about Liberty, his over arching theme for the week. He had chosen this track to counter the other party’s crass emotionalism. In the early days of the campaign, Charles had debated a few of those of the liberal persuasion.  He won them handily, but noticed when they couldn’t win by facts and clear argument, they would resort to some kind of emotional appeal or character assassination.  Operatives from the other side were constantly on the prowl to interview his former employees and find some dirt on him, but they, to the last man declined to give any damaging information. Eventually he stopped the debates because he realized they were more of a distraction than anything else.   

“Let’s do a quick comparison between our founding fathers, and their ideas of Liberty and government, versus those of politicians today. They had to deal with the tyranny of George III, who ignored their concerns and instead increased his repressive actions, leading to our founding Document, The Declaration of Independence, and war.  The word that is most descriptive of their actions to me, is, sacrifice. They risked everything, impoverishment and even death for an idea that man could govern himself.  Many of them did wind up penniless.  But they looked to the future, and the future rewards of a free people. We all agree their sacrifice succeeded wildly.  

Let’s contrast that with today. The great success our system allowed has faltered in recent years.  The reason?  We are again under tyranny.  Not by any foreign power, but by government itself.  We are now egregiously taxed and regulated.  Our every move is scrutinized, and we have been suffering because of it.  The present crop of politicians think of themselves and not you.  They want the perks of the job right now and are destroying your future for their present.  The result is, today our national debt is in the trillions, and our politicians regularly meet in secret and lie to you about important matters."  He was speaking specifically of the national health care plan, pushed through by the other party and the promises made about it.  Which not only were lies, but known and calculated ones.  This was most distasteful to Charles, who believed if anyone should be telling the truth, it should be elected officials. It was their sacred duty to those who trusted them enough to put them in office.

"What can we do about this?  We can join the Revolution. I believe this time around lots of people will be coming over to our side because they see what’s going on and are fed up by it. Join the battle!  Vote!"  

After his speech he grabbed a mike and took questions from the crowd.  He, his assistant and cameraman wandered back and forth around the room.  Afterward he took his leave of them and left for the airport.

The next week an open letter appeared in the San Francisco Free Press.

“I was there at the event.  Well, I had to be there, for I am an employee of the hotel.  It so happens that his opponent had a rally here last week.  The difference between the two events were stunning.  For the other party, everything was determined before hand, in the form of demands, from the attire of the attendants to the type of water on the podium, and no less than sixteen back up bottles on the table behind.  There were no real guests, besides security, all were party favorites and even though the other candidate had a question and answer time, the inquiries were vetted by his people and answered by teleprompter.  The candidate never left the stage, never stopped to meet the people behind the scenes, and never thanked our staff for their efforts.

By comparison Charles’ event was a breath of fresh air.  He and his staff were professional, non-demanding and always grateful for our work. They asked for nothing.  When I approached his campaign manager about Charles’ on stage needs he looked puzzled for a moment, then asked tentatively, ”Would it be ok for a glass of ice water?”  “Any particular kind?”  Again, puzzlement.  “Whatever you have would be fine.”  

When Charles took the stage he was greeted by enthusiastic and genuine cheers, the other guys had a sign for when the people were to clap.  While he spoke I was able to listen quietly in the doorway to the kitchen.  I wondered what all the controversy was about. This guy is some kind of radical?  I couldn’t see it.  He came across to me as being entirely sincere . His question and answer period was completely off the cuff.  No pat answers, no edits or previews.  His answers showed a very knowledgeable man with real concern and practical answers to the problems our nation faces.   

After he finished, Charles insisted on thanking the staff, and we quickly called them together.  They were excited to meet him, but he seemed to be thrilled too.  He shook hands with each one, looked them in the eye and listened.  He had barely met half of our people when his campaign advisor hinted rather urgently they were running late and the plane was waiting.  

The candidate turned and said, “Do you think they are going to leave without me?” “No,” his manager replied. “A few minutes won’t hurt very much, this is important.”

And so he continued. All the while he was relaxed and personable.

For many years I have been a member of the other party, but I’m voting for Charles this time around.  This man is the genuine article." 

A New Standard for Fitness?

How do we measure fitness?  Is it how fast we can run, how high we can jump?  Or maybe it’s how much we can pick up.  Many different systems of exercise have been developed over the years, some designed for the athlete to better their performance, others for individuals who are interested because being in shape helps them feel and think better.

What if we could distill the essence of fitness into a single word? That word would be ‘mitochondria’.

Why mitochondria?  Because these are little organelles that take food: carbohydrates, amino acids (protein) and fatty acids and oxidize them to create ATP, the fuel your cells use for energy.  The more of these little guys you have in your cells, the better. Every cell in your body has mitochondria, except red blood cells.  If you surmised that muscle cells are packed with them, you would be right.  And why wouldn’t they be?  Your muscles need to generate tremendous energy when called upon.  

About 40 years ago, professor John Holloszy at the University of Washington found that endurance exercise induced large changes in muscular mitochondria.  Over the intervening years, from his discovery to today, we have seen a boom in the number of people entering into some exercise regimen.   

What about the latest research?  An article posted on the Science Daily web site a few months ago presents us with the results of a study published in Cell Metabolism. The researchers took groups of volunteers, men and women in younger and older age groups and had them perform one of three different exercise programs.  One group did high intensity interval biking.  The second, strength training with weights.  The third performed a combination of the two.

The results?  While strength training caused the biggest increases in muscle mass, the high intensity exercise group experienced the largest rise in muscle mitochondria. (49% increase in the younger group, 69% increase in the older.) If that wasn’t enough the exercisers also showed improvement in insulin sensitivity. Which indicates a lower likelihood of developing diabetes.

We all know that any form of exercise is beneficial to the individual. My own adage is simple:  movement equals exercise equals fitness.  The takeaway is this: the more you move, the better shape you will be in. However, if you really want to maximize your fitness levels, ramp up the intensity and the results will follow.

Sreekumaran Nair, the lead author of the Cell Metabolism study suggests a best of both worlds approach: "If people have to pick one exercise, I would recommend high-intensity interval training, but I think it would be more beneficial if they could do 3-4 days of interval training and then a couple days of strength training,"

Here’s the link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307155214.htm

Another excellent article can be found here:
https://www.mangomannutrition.com/mitochondrial-biogenesis-part1/
UPDATE:  I would like to see any research about aerobic exercise, running or biking, and the resulting change on cellular mitochondria.  That way we could get a better picture of what types of workouts will engender the most change.  This study only compares HIIT and weights.  It would be pretty good to put the third kind of workout next to the other two.  

Candidate of the Apocalypse Episode 17

Charles’ campaign was running in high gear since he had pulled even in the polls.  His chosen running mate, a former general and legislator was considered a good choice.  And, like Charles, he was also a Washington outsider, but very effective at his job. He was well respected and liked even by his political opponents.  And he was able to speak powerfully to the issues at hand.  Now the two of them would campaign, together at the more important events, and singly everywhere else.  They played well off each other’s experience and personalities.  

For both of them, every minute of every day was scheduled, up early, breakfast at an event, speak, move on to the next event.  While in transit, meet people, plan and study.  There were many things to consider, from the wording of speeches and position articles on his web site, to potential cabinet members.  Charles now had several assistants, and each one handled a particular specialty.  Even though it appeared to be lacking somewhat in organization, everyone was working more or less smoothly with the ultimate goal to land Charles in the White House.

Lunch was taken either on the road or at another event.  Usually Charles would speak for a few minutes about an important issue of the day.  Eating was noisy and, since he was the guest of honor, often the cooks and servers were overly enthusiastic about his portions. He had to stop his lifelong habit of cleaning his plate.  

And there were meetings!  Meetings of all kinds, big ones with lots of people, supporters who had donated a lot of money, or won a contest to meet him,  and myriads of smaller ones, sometimes with only Charles and a single person.  These tended to be with high level officials in government or in his party. Charles noted that some representatives who had carefully avoided him during the nomination now wanted to talk, usually out of the public eye.  These meetings would continue into the night. 

Outwardly it appeared that everything and everyone associated with the campaign was happy and upbeat all the time.  But there were some serious concerns.  Charles had been inundated with voters coming up to him asking the same question.  Is it too late?  Can our government be saved, or is it in free fall and we were doomed to become like Europe, Britain and other countries? “That’s why I’m running, to keep that from happening,” He would often reply. But he did have doubts. Because of his position he was privy to the internal workings of government and what was going on behind the scenes.  What he found out disturbed him deeply.  And he knew that many times those from his own party were to blame up as well as the other one. Would his own party accept they had contributed to the current state of government?  Would they be willing to admit their errors and correct them? Where was the will to enact a sea change in attitude about the size and scope of government? There were no real answers. 

From the info his staff had gathered, he was able to guess whether he would have a majority of supporters for his big initiatives, and every time they came up even, or almost even.  The votes were always too close to call!  Which was one reason he started courting first time conservatives, he would need all their support to enact real change, and these people would not be enamored by the perks of the job, or beholden to any interest group.

One thing he did know.  There was great dissatisfaction with the current state of government, and that was working in his favor.  Charles was going to play that for all it was worth.

Inside the Story: Names

Hemingway was asked in an interview, "How do you name your characters,"  His reply:  "The best I can."  

I attempt to do that also.  In any story  the mission is to pick something that is appropriate to the character.  I used to wonder how it was that so many names in classic literature are sort of odd or unusual.  The reason for that is to find something unique.  After all, when writing a unique story, why not have unique names?  There are times when the character name comes to me on the spot.  Others take thought.   Some are from my particular history.

A few examples:

The head FAA investigator is named Ross.  I got his name from a book I read a few years back titled, Fate is the Hunter.  It's a first person biography of a pilot's experiences in aviation during WWII and after.  He was a cargo pilot.  It happened that the guy who was his first captain was named Ross.  He was, as the author described, the personification of what a pilot should be.  Tall, smart, disciplined, experienced and cool.  Since he was the quintessential pilot, I gave my  character his name:  Ross.  Notice he doesn’t have a last name.  Neither did his inspiration.  Or maybe I just do not remember it.

What about the girl, Liz?  Everyone calls my daughter Michelle, but her actual first name is Elizabeth.  It's also the name of my grandmother.  Elizabeth Pearl.

Her colleague Greg, short for Gregory.  I had a friend with his name.  It just seemed right.

Alan?  I used to work with a guy with that name.  He was personable, smart, principled and he liked to blow things up.  I admired him for all that.  So my main character has this name.  I've also known a couple of Alan's during my life, and they were all like this.

The criminal.  William Sangster was a member of the youth group at church when I was in high school.  He was a fun loving and kind of goofy guy who could play guitar and sing well.  Obviously I just used his name for the story.  I doubt he would hurt a flea.

Other names, like Victor and Sophia just came to me at the right time.  I did want Sophia's name to be a little exotic, and that's where my mind took me.  The same was true with my TV reporter, Lindsay Prescott.  I wanted her name to give a sense of old southern charm and sort of roll off the tongue.

Officer Boston.  When I was in college the group I was travelling with did a concert in Jacksonville, Florida.  Afterward, a friend of mine, Steve Reitenour, the percussionist, and I walked along the water way to enjoy the sights.  Nearby was the Independent Life building.  Back then it was brand new and not open to the public.  But the lobby lights were on and we walked in, still in our suits from the concert.  It was beautifully done, with flora everywhere and a half-acre indoor pond.  We were met by the security guard, who informed us that no one was allowed in.  We didn't press the matter, and struck up a conversation with him.  A few minutes later he said, 'Well, come on up, I'll show you the restaurant.' It was on the top floor.  We got a free tour of the place, and an excellent view of the city.  The guard?  Rodger Boston.

Yes, names are everywhere, but it's kind of neat to be able to use some from people you've met and admire, even if no one else knows it.

Inside the Story: Ideas

Every story must start with an idea.  Mine is no exception, of course.  How did it come about?  I wanted to began with a mystery, something vivid which would draw the reader in and propel the narrative forward. 

So I set the first scene in the middle of the woods, and at night.  To throw things off a bit I had as my  witness, a guy who was something of an enigma too. This part of the story was known to the reader, but they would have no idea where it would lead, how the two were connected, or even if they were connected.  Then I added a cast of characters to the mix and started writing.  Theirs was to be a voyage of discovery. 

As for my characters, I did not want to reveal much about them at the outset.  That way the reader would discover things about who they were as the story went along.  Character development would coincide with the story. 

Those were the ingredients I used to initiate the novel.  Once they were in place I had to direct the action so little revelations could be made at just the right time.  Each chapter would end with some sort of discovery and be a lead in to the next.  That way the reader always had some answered and unanswered questions.  The combined effect would be an engaging, fast paced story that culminates in a satisfying and possibly life-changing conclusion. 

And it all started with that little scene in the woods.