Happy Tuesday to you!

Ah remember the days when you might have trained solely for yourself and to pursue a hot mate and you were building your foundation or shrine of awesomeness.  Each workout, each meal, each night of deep sleep you continued to pour high quality nourishment into said foundation making it wider, deeper and richer than before (aka buffing the shrine).  You created a proverbial jumping off point for future endeavors, a wider and higher safety net to mitigate risk as you pursued new found opportunities, fear conquering and exhilaration.  You combined your health, body composition and performance focused habits with other worldly and worthy investments into yourself and earned additional bright & noble achievements.  Then because you wanted to do something deeper with this expanding foundation and the fruits from your labors, you decide to take on a newer, larger and sometimes longer (as in lifelong in my case) commitment.  That’s when it hits you.  You realize your foundation was great and got you to this point and provided a cushion to fall back on, but now it’s too small for where you want to go with this new commitment and what it’s going to take to make your dreams of this commitment a reality.

Well, I’ve reached that new commitment stage and if you’ve been away for a while, Vanessa, my Queen, delivered our new baby girl (details below).  Like Nell Kisiel enthusiastically said and I’ll briefly summarize, “it’s a most awesome experience.  It’s amazing”.  Vanessa and I have been through a lot and our rainbow baby has arrived.  She’s healthy and has all of her parts.  I don’t know who she looks like yet, but she sure is beautiful (parental bias) and now while she sleeps and I hold her and as my mind wanders into dreamland, I realize and restate again, that what I did in the past isn’t going to be good enough for where these new dreams are taking me.  So alas, once again, I must say goodbye to some old habits & things that don’t fit anymore and dust off my shovel and begin again the pouring of more nourishment into my foundation to make it wider, deeper and richer than before.  There will be “hiccups” along the way, just like all great endeavors, but I hope you’ll continue to join me anyways as we pursue the construction of greater foundations to bring the stars in our dreams a little bit closer and to make the process and pursuit of said dreams, much more vibrant, fun & energizing.

This week’s agenda:

  • Sweet Vivi
  • Interval Sleep
  • Marisa Cimino
  • Cardio Minutes
  • Weekly Themes
  • Empower Week Plan
  • Empower Week Schedule
  • Challenge Workouts
  • Quarter 3
  • Phase 9
  • Shout Outs

Sweet Vivi

Sweet Vivi is healthy, has all her fingers and toes and is doing all the usual baby stuff like sleeping, eating and filling diapers. Mom and dad are filled with joy and getting ready to earn their parent badges.

Interval Sleep

You’ve heard of interval training (IT) and high intensity interval training (HIIT), but have you heard of interval sleep.  Interval sleep is sleeping every time the baby sleeps and the way you can get enough total sleep (from my vast days of parenthood) is to go to bed earlier, sleep later (if on paternity/maternity leave, weekends, days off & holidays…) and take naps during the day if possible.  Just like anything else worthwhile doing in life, when you have a big change, you’ll have to trade some things and if you truly value sleep like I do, to the point where you’ll trade some pleasures, you’ll go to be earlier, to make up for the times you’ll be awake during the night.  Of course, my big interval sleep was inspired by an 11 hour cumulative sleep day by me, only to be followed up by a 3hr, 5hr and 5.5hr cumulative sleep days that snapped me back into reality.  In any event, I don’t have a better plan, so this is what I’m working on right now.

Marisa Cimino

Marisa is a happily, married mother of 2 adult “boys”.  She’s an accountant by trade, a 4th Degree Black Belt in Karate, she manages the Mackenzie Center schedule for Sacred Heart Parish, teaches youth karate and has become a certified personal trainer through ACSM.  We 1st met in 2008, when I reached out to the Mackenzie Center about renting space for a fitness boot camp class and her being an athlete, she was very open to helping me “try” to launch my program.  She was a charter member of the 9am class that successfully launched in September 2009, but she also was a member when we tried launching the 9am during the spring of 2009 as well as when we moved the 6:30pm class from the Newton Community Service Center to the Mackenzie Center later that summer.

Marisa was healthy from a BMI standpoint when we 1st weighed in, but she transformed her health, body composition and lifestyle over the next 12-months by losing 24.5 scale lbs., 4.6 BMI units, 4.75” from her waist and 4.06” from her hips, while also lowering her blood pressure, dropping her dress size from a 7 to a 2.  And best of all, she did this all while going through menopause.

Then, like the story I share at orientation and at the nutrition discussion, I told Marisa to eat ice cream whenever she wanted.  Over the next 3 months, she continued to lose weight and approached the underweight BMI range, so after each “kick ass weigh in”, I suggested she do something different, like add starches after workouts, add a protein shake after workouts, eat a starch twice a day (at breakfast & after workouts), add snacks between meals, drink liquid calories with meals, eat starches at any meal, add a splurge meal, eat whatever you want and eventually eat ice cream Marisa.  This was in the fall of 2010, so the story may have become more embellished over time like the huge fish I once caught deep sea fishing.

Marisa loved training so much and trying all different kinds of classes that she asked me what I thought about her becoming a personal trainer.  I said go for it because she was a walking talking success story.  She had a niche (menopause moms, women, 50 year olds, sedentary working women, people looking to make body & lifestyle changes), she could do every level 3 exercise I taught (this was before an unfortunate shoulder dislocation), she was likeable, she made a dramatic body & lifestyle change herself and she was a 4th degree black belt.  She got her 1st few clients through her personal network.  I began sending her PT clients that didn’t fit my schedule and then I asked her to cover my honeymoon in 2011.  Everyone thought she did great then and so we’ve casually floated the idea of working together ever since and would have started with the birth of Max & Leo, but that didn’t work out so here we are now.  She graciously and exceptionally covered my paternity leave and will now be the 6:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday coach.  There are a couple of movements her shoulder hasn’t fully healed up to do again yet, like pull ups, pike push ups and snatches, but I’m confident in her abilities to lead you, teach you and deliver you a fun, safe & amazing experience that yields results.  She’s already bringing a fresh perspective on how to make the program better and you’ll gradually see those changes over time.  So please welcome Marisa to our coaching family and know you can reach out to her or me with your successes, questions and/or concerns.  Marisa, I’m grateful to be your coach, your colleague and your friend.

Cardio Minutes

Week 2

Time Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Total
6am 10 14 14 38
9am 10 14 14 38
6:30pm 10 14 14 38

Week 3

Time Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Total
6am 14 14 14 42
9am 14 14 14 42
6:30pm 14 14 14 42

Empowerment Week Cardio Plan:  click here to view.

Weekly Themes

Week 4:  Empowerment Week / Challenge Week:  Train on own, max reps, sets, rounds and/or weight in same time or less / Perfect form / Very Sore, but loving it /

/ M&O

Empowerment Week Plan

Next week is Empowerment Week (EW).  You can choose to do cardio only if you’re feeling beat up and your body is in need of a rest, but if you’re feeling great, ready to go and you don’t want to stop, then the Challenge Week Workouts are your best decisions.

EW Option #1:  no strength training, do EW cardio goal only and other recreational activities.

EW Option #2:  do some strength training (decrease total work volume by 50%), do cardio goal and other recreational activities

Strength Training Example:  1-3 challenge workouts, but only 10min of strength challenge, ½ the conditioning challenge and w/ the Finisher optional; also can choose own strength training option like a class, 4 Week Fat Loss Jump Start Program, Hotel Travel Workout Routine or other.  Remember to decrease training volume.  Easiest way to do this is to train strength for ONLY 10-minutes, 1-3x/wk instead of 20minutes, 1-3x/wk.

EW Option #3:  strength train, do cardio goal with other recreational activities optional.

Strength Training Example:  1-3 Full Challenge Workouts, 4 Week Fat Loss Jump Start Workout, Hotel Travel Workout Routine, a class or other strength training option.

To see the Empowerment Week Plan with cardio minute goals, challenge workouts, the 4 Week Fat Loss Jump Start Workout and the Hotel Travel Workout Routine, click here.

Challenge Workouts

Please complete the phase 7 challenge workouts in place of the phase 8 challenges.

PDF:  2014, P7, Challenge Workouts

Videos:

Challenge Workout #1, P7, 2014

Challenge Workout #2, P7, 2014

Challenge Workout #3, P7, 2014

Download:

How to download the videos from YouTube to watch later?

Quarter 3

June 15 to August 30 (phases 7-9)

This will be the hardest training quarter of the year.  If you match the intensity of the programming with equal effort in the gym, at the table and with your sleep, you could make this your best summer ever.

Phase 9

  • P9 Orientation is 8am-10am, Sunday, August 10, 2014 @ Mackenzie Center
  • 1st Classes begin on Monday, August 11, 2014.
  • P9 we’ll continue training for beach season as well as preparing you for fall sports and peaking for end of summer races and events.

Coming Events

  • Carson Beach Workout, 6:30-8a, Sat, Aug 16
  • ND&GST, 10-12pm, Sun, Aug 17
  • Blue Hills Hike, 7:30-9a, Sat, Aug 23
  • Local Guest Day, 6:30p, Tues, Aug 26 and 6a, 9a, Wed, Aug 27
  • P9 Empowerment Week, Sun, Aug 31 to Sat, Sept 6
  • P10, Private Measurements, 6-9am, Sat, Aug 30 @ MC
  • Cold Spring Park Run, 7:30-9a, Sat, 9/20
  • Family Boot Camp, Pumpkin Workout, 8:30-9:30a, Sat, Oct 18 @ BG
  • Family Boot Camp, Turkey Workout, 8:30-9:30a, Sat, Nov 15 @ BG
  • Family Boot Camp, Turkey Workout, 8:30-9:30a, Sat, Dec 13 @ BG

Shout Outs

  • 2014, P8, Week 2, Cardio High Fives:  Carol Vaghar, Ceci Dunn, Lori Arnold, Jim Pelis, Quyen Chu, Amy Landry, Lauren Coyne, Mike Coyne, Madeline McNeely, Sean Crowley, Steve Froyman, Lisa Listerman and Marina Khabituyeva. You did it!  Summer can be easy for some people to be more active and get it done and for others it can be a challenge.  You got it done!  High Five!
  • 2014, P8, Perfect Attendance through week 3:  Carol Vaghar, Ceci Dunn, Lori Arnold, Christine Murphy, Susan Suminski, Joshua Gann, Bernadette “Bernie” McCarthy, Peter Kelly, Cecilia Vernes, Amy Fleischman, Julie Levin, Russell Neufeld, Sean Crowley, Steve Froyman, Marina Khabituyeva and William Weinreb. Showing up is half the battle.  You showed up to every time therefore you are building momentum, increased your chances for success and are more awesome than before.  High Five!
  • 2014, Year-to-Date, Perfect Attendance through Phase 8:  Amy Fleischman, Susan Suminski, Cecilia Vernes, Julie Levin and Deborah Bryant.  The few, the proud, the consistent!  You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, but by showing up you increase your shot at becoming your best self.  Well done.  I admire your prioritization of your training.  You do a great job of scheduling your workouts and not letting the less important intefere, and when life happens, you quickly make up your missed workout.  To those whose names aren’t on this list.  Email me if you want to know how many workouts you’ve missed.  Maybe you can get your name back on the perfect attendance list.  Maybe.
  • 2014, P8, Week 2, Kick A** Weigh In (person with weight loss goal, who’s after class, shoes on weigh in,  beat last shoes off weigh in):  Carol Vaghar, Julie Levin, Karna Krishna and Joan Duffy. It’s summertime and you’re getting better & leaner!  How timely of you.  High Five!
  • 2014, P8, Week 3, Kick A** Weigh In (person with weight loss goal, who’s after class, shoes on weigh in,  beat last shoes off weigh in):  Carol Vaghar, Jim Pelis, Amy Fleischman, Julie Levin and Karna Krishna. You’re heading into August with momentum.  Good for you.  Can you enter phase 9 lighter, leaner & stronger than you finished phase 8?
  • Joan Duffy for running more stadium runs in 3 weeks than I’ve ever done in my life.
  • Marisa Cimino for covering my paternity leave.
  • Carol Vaghar for digging deep and getting back on track.
  • Julie Levin for getting yourself on a role and making this summer better than last summer.
  • Russell Neufeld for being open minded and taking action in your pursuit of getting better.
  • Madeline McNeely for continuing to train while living abroad for the summer.
  • P8 Post Measurements
    • Amy Landry gained 2 lbs. of lean muscle since Jan 2014 while losing 0.4” from her waist and since joining in Aug 2012, she’s decreased 5.6 scale lbs 5.6% BF, 1.8 BMI units, 4.875” from her waist, 1.688” from her hips while gaining 3.89 lbs. of lean muscle.
    • Karna Krishna is down 10.7 scale lbs since Jan ’14 reaching his lowest body weight in CYBBC, since joining in Oct ’13.  He’s also down 5.8%  BF, 1.6 BMI units, 1.68” from his waist and 1” from his hips while gaining 2.27 lbs. of lean mass.  Overall, Karna is down 15.4 lbs, 7.4% BF, 2.2 BMI units, 3.18” from his waist and 2” from his hips during his ~ 9 months of BC.
    • Russell Neufeld is down 3.2% BF, 4.7 scale lbs., while gaining 9 lbs. of lean muscle and maintaining his waist and hip circumference since Nov ’12.
    • Carol Vaghar has a track record of kicking butt in July and measuring well in August.  She’s down 9.6 lbs., 2.2% BF, 1.9 BMI units, 1.3” from her waist and 1.38” from her hips since Jan ’14.  Since joining in Jan ’10, she’s down 20.4 lbs., 5.6% BF, 3.8 BMI units, 3.8” from her waist, 2.1” from her hips.
    • Tom Crowley has gained 7.5 lbs. of lean muscle since Jan ’14, and overall since joining in April ’13 has lost 7 scale lbs, 6.9% BF, 0.9 BMI units, 2.25” waist, 1.13” hips and gained 8.57 lbs. of lean mass.  Tom, you’re lean muscle gain has been very impressive.  High Five!
    • Michaela Millot is losing inches.  She’s down 2.75” from her waist and 1.25” from her hips since Oct ’13, earning her a 0.72 waist to hip ratio.  High Five Michaela!
    • Cecilia Vernes is down 12 lbs., 6.8% BF, 1.9 BMI units, 1.8” waist, 2.9” hips, 1 dress size while gaining 1 lb of lean mass since, Sept 12.  You work real hard Cecilia; you’re very mindful with your nutrition and you’re very consistent with your training efforts.  Hoo-Rah!
    • Julie Levin is down 6.5 lbs, 1.1% BF, 0.38” waist and 1.19” hips since April ’14.  You’re focused efforts are paying off Julie.  Let’s keep getting you stronger and leaner so you can do pull ups, more push-ups, faster sprints and 1-leg squats.
    • After 37 months (joined Jul ’11), Jim Pelis has hit and beat his body weight goal with room to spare and gotten his BMI into the healthy range.  He’s down 32.1 lbs., 8.9% BF, 4.7 BMI units, 6.5” waist, 4.19” hips and 4 pant sizes.  Jim, I admire your perseverance, commitment, discipline, dedication and how you’re using your enhanced athleticism and performance through snowboarding in the winter and surfing in the summer.  High Five, Chest Bump, Bro hug and Hoo-Rah!  Way to go Jim!  I’m real proud of you.  Next is to decide what your ideal body weight is going to be, keep decreasing your BF %, start adding lean muscle, set & break testing records, increase your mobility in your hips, calves & t-spine to reduce your risk for injury, while getting stronger on pull ups, push ups, pike push ups, pistol squats, faster sprints and add the next expansion set to your power blocks.

Your coach,

Mike Alves

Newton Boot Camp