first treadmill tabata of 2015

Yesterday morning I was mandatoried to a 16 hour shift at the prison. I refused to let that upset my new  workout regimen. I got off of a 16 hour shift at 10 am, slept until 1:15, went to the New Mexico Corrections Academy and completed my training routine before my kids got home at 3 pm from school.

For cardio I did my first treadmill tabata in over a year. I chose the treadmill tabata because I didn't have much timr. A tabata is a very quick and rediculously intense cardio workout. It'll makes your lungs scream and heart feel like it's going to pump right out of your chestt. I did a 5 minute warm up followed by a twenty second sprint at a %12 grade and a 13:37 pace followed by a 10 second rest. I completed  10 sprints of 20 seconds followed by a ten second break. It was really hard! Felt great.

treadmill tabata #4

Today I did a light recovery workout for strength training. Then I hopped on the treadmill and did a tabata. I warmed up for 5 minutes the ran at a 12% grade at an 11:45 pace 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. This was the fastest pace I've been able to keep since I started doing cardio a month ago. This workout was absolutely my max effort! I'm going to need to stay at this pace for awhile.

I did snatch's, squat's, and deadlift's yesterday. It was a great day. I PR'd my snatches, building up to 3X2 at 69k. I then completed a 5X5 at 104k on squats. I rounded the day off with six sets of heavy deadlifts setting another PR on my last set with a single at 356 pounds.

The 2014 Missile man duathlon DNS (did not show)

My Grandpa died. During the week we were at the funeral, visiting family, or traveling I didn't train at all. This Saturday was the Missile Man duathlon at WSMR, NM. I figured the time off was nothing more than a taper. I paid for the race, packed, and even started to drive there, but an hour into the drive to the race I had realized there was no way I was going to be able to ride my bike in a race with vehicle traffic. I DNS'd (did not show). Getting ran over by a vehicle while cycling back in 2011 really screwed me up. I only have to complete 14 more races to accomplish one of my bucket list of finishing 100 triathlons or duathlons, but I'm beginning to doubt if I'll be able to do it now that I'm afraid to bike in traffic.

Yesterday was my 1st day back at weightlifting. Since I had taken a week off coach Shane Miller had me train with slightly lighter weights than usual. He's a smart man. Even with the lighter weights I'm still a little sore today. Today I rode my bike indoors on my Cycle Ops trainer:
5 min warm up
3 min hard, 3 min recovery
2 min hard, 2 min recovery
1 min hard, 1 min recovery
2 min hard, 2 min recovery
3 min hard, 6 minute cool down

I ate like crap the entire time we were traveling. I'm afraid to see where my weight is now.

2nd treadmill tabata of 2014

Today I completed my 2nd treadmill tabata of 2014. This time I wanted to push myself harder than I have in awhile so I increased the treadmills elevation to %12 and ran at a 10:45 pace for the hard sets. The goal was to run 10 hard sets worth. Even though I pushed myself to the point where my legs were almost collapsing and I was getting dizzy I was only able to run 8 hard sets. Next time I'll decrease my pace to a 10:56 and try for the full 10 sets. Once I 'm able to complete the full 10 I'll start increasing the speed I'm running and the amounts of hard sets I'm completing.

This morning I received a call from a loved one to tell me my grandpa died last night. His funeral will be held outside of Dallas Texas. I usually cover any emotions I'm having with eating. I'm going to try really dang hard to do a lot of praying, working out, and talking to my family about my feelings rather than turning to food.

strong enemies suck

I'm in a competition with another blogger. It's a diet, health, workout, etc, competition. Until I beat him he's my enemy. The enemy is strong, knowledgeable, and tough as nails. But that's alright 'cause I'm going to smoke him anyways. There's no way I could lose to this guy:

Yup, those are his shoes. Purple shoes. I cant lose to a dude who wears purple shoes. If I lose to him it makes me less than the man who wears purple shoes.

I lost 7 pounds in the 1st 11 days of this competition. But for some reason my weight loss has come to a screeching halt. I'm stuck, platoed. I've still been eating 100% Paleo and doing CrossFit, but no more weight loss, which is disturbing because I still have a lot to lose. Unlike my competition I'm chubby, which is a nice word for fat. I think the reason I've stalled is because I haven't done any base building cardio since last Saturday. Long slow days are the best way to burn fat and train the body to use stored body fat. So tonight after CrossFit, after I took the kids to the park, after I cleaned out the hamster cage, after I fed and watered the rabbits and Guinea pigs, after I did the dishes, after I finished the laundry and folded it, I rode my indoor trainer and watched a the biggest Loser on TiVo. I didn't feel like it but I did it anyways. I gotta do something! I can't lose to the dude in those shoes! Besides, I really want to NOT be the fattest guy competing in the triathlons I race in.

BTW, I never thought it was possible, but I found something I hate more than burpees. Wall climbers. They suck. Rather, I suck at them. I did ok for the 1st 7, but after that I was HORRIBLE.  I couldn't do them to save my life. I know they dont look hard, but try a set of ten and you'll see. Better yet try 4 sets of 10 like we did today and you'll develop loathing! From now on before the daily WOD I'm going to do a few sets of the 2 things I'm worst at in CrossFit. Pull ups and wall climbers. If I do them every day before my WOD I should get better at them soon. At least that's my hope.

weaknesses and strengths

Since starting CrossFit I figured out pretty quickly what I'm weak at and what my strengths are. What I'm best at is my upper body strength, which is surprising because I haven't done any upper body strength training since 2004. My weaknesses are many, but the three that I need to work on the most are my body weight bearing exercises such as burpees, push ups, pull ups, etc., my cardio, and my leg strength. During most of my CrossFit workouts I end up gassed out long before I reach muscle failure- the exception is when I'm doing strength bearing exercises, or a strength workout on the legs.

Since starting CrossFit a couple weeks ago I've already doubled the amount of push ups I can do. But I still need to improve a lot.

Yesterday I finished the WOD in last place out of everyone in the class, but I'm getting better quickly, and I'm finally eating well again. Yesterday after my CrossFit workout I rode the indoor bike rollers for 55 minutes while watching the biggest loser. I love that show. The 55 minute bike was rough. The Missile Man Duathlon at White Sands Missile Range on February 2nd is going to kick my butt! Hopefully there wont be many Clydesdale open division athletes showing up, because I'm in sad shape. This is the least fit and most overweight I've been in since picking up triathlon back in 2004.

cyclng outdoors

Cycling on rollers or indoor traininers are good for cycling fitness, but I dont think riding on rollers or indoor trainers create as much cycling strength, explosiveness, endurance, or speed as riding outdoors.

I've had a problem riding outdoors since I got ran over by a vehicle a little over a year ago. I don't know what to call it, fear, anxiety, PTSD? I need to figure out a way to be able to ride outdoors so today I tried listening to comedy routines on Pandora radio while I rode. I was a little nervous about riding while wearing ear phones and not being able to hear the things going on around me so I rode out near Galisteo NM where there isn't much traffic (see picture).

It was a success! I was able to finish an entire bike workout! I wasn't fast, but by George I finished it!

While on my ride I found my dream house! #60 Camino San Cristobal, Galisteo NM. It's for sale too! Only $536,000. Look at those views! See picture below

chasing Arnold day 4

I started my run this morning as soon as there was enough light to run safely, 6:50 AM. I had to cut it short so that I could be home to take care of my youngest when my wife left for school. I ran 3.5 miles. I haven't come close to rebuilding my endurance or speed yet, but I felt better than I had in a long time.

There's not much better than triathlon training on the highway 14 here in New Mexico, also called Turquoise Trail. It's much easier to get up everyday and train when I know I get to see views like these.

 

When I laid my son down for a nap today I hopped on the rollers and did a little cycling while watching The Walking Dead on Netfix. Thank goodness for streaming movies and TV shows, otherwise indoor cycling would be torture!

Currently my metabolic rate is a little above 3,000 calories. Yesterday I burned 822 calories and ate 2,607 calories. Another day of low carb diet success, I should hit my goal weight of 200 pounds no later than mid summer 2013. I'm currently 227.

triathlon fitness: a long way to go

Tonight after laying our three babies down to sleep my wife and I watched a 45 minute TV show on Netflix and I hopped onto the indoor rollers to gain a little extra cycling fitness. I felt this was appropriate since cycling is my weakest sport and it is Arnold's strength. Plus who couldn't use a little extra calorie burn? My average for the workout was much better than it was this morning. Tonight I averaged 12.9 mph, this morning I averaged less than 11. I'm out of shape, but it doesn't matter where I'm at, it just matters where I'm going. And tonight I moved in the right direction.

There aren't many wives who would be OK with their husband riding a bike, breathing heavy, and sweating in the room while she's trying to watch a television show. I'm a very lucky man.

This morning I weighed in at 227 pounds. I'm down 9 and have 27 more to get to my goal weight. 27 pounds is a total of 94,500 calories, but who's counting right?

indoor tire product reviews

The wonderful thing about indoor training is that indoor trainer tires last FOREVER! The 2 I've purchased most recently are the Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Home Trainer Tire & the Continental Ultra Sport Home trainer Tire.

The Continental Ultra Sport Home trainer tire is a very good tire. I put on almost 2000 miles before the sides of the tire became cracked and I started having flats. The bad thing about them is that the tire is black, so after I ride on them I have to carry my bike outside, not allowing the tires to touch the floor or they leave black tire tracks on our tile and carpet. Since riding the Continentals my wood porch has a huge amount of black tracks all over it that can only be removed if I scrub the wood with sandpaper, and then I'm forced refinish the wood with a wood treatment product.

The Vittoria Zaffiro Pro home Trainer Tire is an amazing tire! I currently have 3500 miles on it. Although it is starting to have some cracks on the sides of the tire I still haven't had a single flat tire. Not a single flat in 3500 miles! Now that's great workmanship right there!!! The tires are red and don't leave any annoying black tracks on my flooring, carpet, or porch.

2011 South West Challenge Series standings & points

I've competed in the South West challenge series every year since 2006. I love the series. It's an amazing challenge that an athlete has to work hard at and be dedicated to for an entire season. Since 2006 this will be the 1st year I wasn't able to compete at least 11 of the races in the SW series.

This year has been an amazing season! 2 incredibly fast athletes, Marty Moriarty and Brooks Vandivort started beating me early in the season which is unusual. I usually train hard on the indoor trainer throughout the winter and have my best races early when the other triathletes are just starting to build their base cycling fitness.

Cory Adair is currently in 4th place in the series. Cory is a solid and consistent athlete who is always in contention for the top 3 in the SW series. He has 8 races & 39.25 points. If he finishes in 1st place in the 35-39 AG the next 2 races he'll have a season total of 55.25 points which as of right now would place him in 3rd place.

Marty Moriarty who is a pure cyclist & bike time trial phenom is in 3rd place in the South West. He has 6 races and 53 points. If he finishes the Elephant man triathlon in 4th place or better he'll jump ahead of me & secure 2nd place in the series. There are only 2 SW Challenge series races left for the year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to hold onto 2nd place!

I'm currently in 2nd place having completed 9 races and have 56.25 points. If I hadn't been injured from a cycling crash I'd be competing in as many late season SW series races as possible to attempt to hold onto 2nd place.

Brooks Vandivort has absolute control of 1st place in the 35-39 SW series age group. He has completed 8 races and has 76 points! Brooks is in his 1st full season of triathlon training and racing but has already proven he's one of the fastest athletes in the entire region. He has the perfect combination of natural talent, dedication, and grit which allowed him put on more speed in less than a year than any other triathlete I've ever seen!

The 2 remaining races for the series is the Elephantman this weekend & the Raptor triathlon on Columbus weekend. I wont know until then if my 56.25 points will be enough to keep me in the top 3 of the South West challenge series this year. I'll let you know if there are any changes in the 35-39 AG.

Thanks for tuning in and please keep me in your prayers for quick healing from my injuries.

In the aero position on rollers

Awhile back I had promised I'd post a video of me riding my rollers in the aero position. Here I am doing part of a 45 minute recovery workout where I keep my RPM's 100+. I usually watch Netflix when I'm on the rollers, & my wife dared me to record myself use a remote control like I normally would while in the aero's & to publish it on my blog if I fall- which I do occasionally! I was a little wobbly, but I didn't fall & make an idiot out of myself!

The aero position on rollers

In my race this weekend I realized I was slower in the aero position than up in the traditional riding position. The reason is because I've been predominantly riding my indoor trainer this winter. Since I only ride my road bike on my indoor trainer I suck on my triathlon aero bike. I need to start riding my tri bike, but since I take care of our 3 babies while my wife is in school 3 days a week I am stuck cycling on my indoor trainer all but one of my cycling training days. I refuse to put my tri bike up on my indoor trainer because it's carbon, & expensive, so that option is also out. That leaves only one more option.... Riding my triathlon bike in the aero position on my rollers. I tried it today, & it was wobbly & made me a little nervous at first. But after 20 minutes I seemed to get it down. Next week I'm going to get my wife to record me riding my rollers on my tri bike tucked into the aero position. I will probably end up falling the minute she turns on the cam corder, but hey, it's all in the name of training g for the time crunched triathlete!

Bunches of indoor miles!

Today I got 2 flats while riding my bike on rollers. It's hard to tell by the picture, but this is the hole I wore in my indoor bike tire. I wore out an indoor cycling tire! It takes A LOT of indoor miles to wear out an indoor bike tire!

The first year I bought my indoor trainer was 2007 & I was training for my first Ironman. Not only was I training an average of 19.5 hours a week, but I was also putting in 70-80 hours a week at work. I missed my wife so bad during my peak training that year. The first day I had my indoor trainer I rode on it for 3 hours while watching a movie, & my wife sat next to me & held my hand during the whole bike ride. She sat there next to me for 3 hours with sweat rolling down my arm onto hers. It was gross for her I'm sure, but all we cared about was we were there together. I have the perfect triathlon wife!!!

I'm back up to 229 pounds. Man am I upset. It took me forever to get down below 200, but less than a quarter of the time to get back up to almost 230. Uhg!

I'm back to logging all my food & exercise on www.dietpower.com I don't know what I'd do without that diet tool!

riding my time trial bike on my rollers in the aero position

I seem to have finally mastered riding in the aero position on the rollers. The things I've learned training like this is:
-Riding on the rollers on the road bike corrects poor form on the road bike, but not necessarily on the tri bike, in the aero's.
-I'm a MUCH better time trialist since i've been riding the aero's on the rollers!!
-if I start to fall on my road bike I can catch myself. If I start to fall in the aero position....I'm going down-HARD!

Triathlon related things, me, & mine

This weekend I'm scheduled & have paid the registration fee for the Farmington Freedom Days Olympic distance triathlon. I've always wanted to do this triathlon & this year my schedule allows for it. Unfortunately I had a financial choice to make. Race, or upgrade my DirecTV to get the cheapest channel package that has the Tour De France. Unfortunately I can't afford to do both right now.

Like any good endurance athlete I have chosen the Tour. Especially since I have TiVo! I think this is best for me- at least that's what I'm telling myself- because I'll get a ton of base miles on my indoor bike trainer watching Lance Armstrong win another Tour. Plus I'm way ahead in the South West Challenge Series so missing one race shouldn't hurt my standings much- hopefully.

I don't know what I'm more excited about, watching Lance ride again, or the possibility of watching another American winning a French cycling race. In general the French really dislike American cyclists, yet in the last decade Americans have won more Tour De France races than all other countries combined! Gotta love it. I sure get a kick out of it!

My daughter has started riding what she & I refer to as her "big girl bicycle". She started riding it a few weeks ago. She's already a great runner & an awe inspiring swimmer for her age (4 years old this Sept). Now that she's nailing the bike riding I'm thinking she'll be finishing her first triathlon next year. The Jay Benson triathlon in May has a kids mini-triathlon. It's on Mothers day. I'm not sure if my wife will be excited or filled with dread watching another family member become a full fledged triathlete;)

I have found an amazing tool for triathletes. It's called Powerdiet.com It's a web site designed to provide a nearly perfect diet for athletes. On day 1 of being on this program I enter my current weight, the goal weight I'm wanting to achieve, & the date I want to achieve it on. Each day I enter my weight & the program finds my metabolic rate so that the sight knows exactly how many calories each day I need to be at a deficit to reach my goal weight on time. I also enter the time & intensity of my workouts each day & Power diet automatically adjusts to allow more calories. Power Diet doesn't estimate calories based off an average person like Weight Watchers Online, it figures out exactly what my calorie needs are daily. No guess work on my part at all.

The other thing I like about Power Diet is, as I enter the foods I eat the program shows me exactly how much total fat, protein, carbohydrates, & 33 of the major nutrients I've eaten. If I haven't eaten enough of anyone of those the site tells me & makes suggestions on what foods to eat that has what I'm lacking. Perfect tool for endurance athletes.

current weight: 218.8

Hope you all enjoy your 4th of July. Peace!

The holidays

My little girl understood Christmas for the first time this year. She was looking forward to Santa Clause coming. She understood about the presents. Most importantly she understood that it was Jesus B-day. She sang the happy B-day song to Jesus almost everyday. Very sweet.

My son watched my daughter open a couple gifts & figured out exactly what to do. He got on a roll with the present opening to say the least. He squealed every time he opened a new gift & saw what it was. His favorite present was a Pooh teddy bear;)

2 days after Christmas I had annual leave from work so we could watch UFC 92. A guy training out of Albuquerque won the light heavy weight championship belt, first NM'er in MMA to win a championship.

My 2 best buds Jimmy & Brandy came over to watch it with my family & I. Jimmy brought his bike & indoor trainer over & we pumped out a Chris Carmichael sprinting DVD before the fight. Great workout, great company.

On Friday my son woke up from his nap & yelled Mommy for the first time. Then On Saturday he woke up from a nap & yelled Daddy. I was very touched. I must admit I got very teary eyed. This was the best Holiday season I've ever had, by far. God really has blessed me.

Last Sunday I rode my bike to church which is a 40 mile ride one way. The temp was 20 degrees when I started. My feet, hands, & torso were very cold by the time I got to church.

This Sunday it was even colder on my ride to church, 13 degrees, so I tried a couple things differently. I tried a new pair of gloves, a pair of Pearl Izumi Lobster claw gloves to see if it would help fight off the cold better. They did. So much for my $70 Gore-Tex cold weather cycling gloves. Those were no good. Which surprised me because the Pearl Izumi gloves were cheaper but much more affective. I wore 3 water wicking base layer shirts & a wind breaker on top that fellow Clydesdale Jason McClure gave me a couple weeks ago. It was the perfect combination. The 3 layers of clothing pulled all the sweat from my skin & pushed it up against my wind breaker like they was supposed to. It was so cold that once the sweat reached the windbreaker the sweat froze. Check out the pick I took when I took off the wind breaker. That's sweat, not snow.

So no problems fighting the cold on my hands or torso at all. My feet were still cold the last hour of my ride. I'm really hoping Performance bikes sends me my new cold weather cycling boots soon.

My water bottles froze 30 minutes into the ride so I was unable to drink any fluids on the ride. I think dehydration was the reason both of my hamstrings were cramping going up Heart Break Hill. I think if I start keeping my bottles in my cycling jersey underneath the wind breaker my body temperature will keep the fluid from freezing. I'll try it next Sunday & let you know how it works. All in all I am really enjoying my Sunday long rides. It's a great challenge & the conditions have broken up the monotony of the usual same old rides.

I am looking at my last couple weeks, heck, my whole life in general & have realized how lucky I really am. Everything is going better than I could ever hope for. Well, everything except my battle with my weight. I've been trying to lose weight. In the last 2 weeks instead of losing I've jumped up from 226 to 232. Pretty much no way to reach my goal weight of 195 by my next race on Feb 7th like I had hoped. At best I'll make my 195 goal weight by April sometime. Which means I've decided to race the entire season as a Clydesdale. No shame in that at all. It's one of the most competitive divisions in the South West. There are two people racing in the Clydesdale division that have beaten the heck out of me in races this year already. Jason McClure & George Ferland. Should be a fun & challenging season. I'll keep you informed on how the season progresses.

Thanks for tuning in & remember to give all glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tips on time management

Triathlon is more than a hobby to me. It is my one true selfish passion. Anyone who has trained for a triathlon of any distance knows what a challenge training efficiently, yet effectively can be. Triathlon takes up more than it’s fair share of that precious commodity called “time”. For me, the most challenging aspect of this sport is finding the time to train with my busy schedule. I’m relatively new to triathlon, but have been fortunate enough to have some great mentors and teachers who have taught me many great things. Everything from training techniques to diet, but the most important was time management skills. I would like to take this time to share some of the best time management techniques that I have learned.

1. The most affective of these being indoor training. From treadmills to stationary bikes. Properly integrated into your training program these workouts can actually provide more effective training overall. Don’t get me wrong; if at all possible the majority of your training should be outdoors. But mixing in some indoor training can help you manage your time better and make your training more efficient. Indoor training allows us to control our conditions such as bad weather or the dark. Indoor training can also increase the amount of time spent with your family. My first year of training for triathlons, I was convinced that training and spending time with family were conflicting goals. It doesn’t have to be. Plus I’d like to think that spending so much time working out in front of my daughter is setting a good example and perhaps helping her build life long healthy habits.

2. Training at lunch time. Most people have 45 minutes to an hour available at lunch. This can be a great asset. If you workout at lunch a person can usually complete 20-25% of their weekly training volume. Since it’s still early your energy is usually still high. This can also be a good stress reducer.

3. Early morning workouts. This can be one of the hardest of my time management tips to adhere to. For me, on the mornings I procrastinate and plan on doing my workout in the evening, something goes wrong. I have company stop by, work calls and needs me to come in, or some such unforeseeable calamity arises. The most certain way to make sure it gets done is to do it early. I have to be at work at 5:45 in the morning. But I am still out there running sometimes as early as 3am. So you 8-4 people cannot complain to loudly. This is especially true for the weekends, when most people do their long days. The best strategy is to get it done early so you are clear for anything that may come up. It is also nice for your family. If they know by mid to late morning you’ll be done and they can have your attention the rest of the day they’ll be much more supportive. The longer you wait the less likely it is to get done!

4. Set up your clothes and equipment the night before. You will be more efficient in the morning and won’t waste time looking for the things you will need. If your obsessive like I am, make a list with 4 categories: swim, bike, run, and weights. Under each have the equipment you’ll need for each event you’re scheduled for that next morning. Once my daughter was born it was more of a challenge to get things in order and organized to be able to workout than it was to actually workout.

5. Schedule training sessions and races in a day planner. Write your workouts into your planner ahead of time. By doing this you’ll always allow for sufficient time for workouts. I even like to post my training and events on the refrigerator so that my family knows what to expect for that week.

6. Make multiple copies of your training plan. I make 4 copies of mine. I put one on the refrigerator, one in my gym bag, one in my vehicle, and one in my wife’s vehicle. That way no matter where I’m at I won’t be stuck trying to remember what I’m scheduled for on any given day.

7. Put your swim workouts in a 1-gallon clear zip lock bag. That way you can refer to your workout while swimming without having to worry about the paper becoming ineligible.

8. Share goals and desires with your family and loved ones. I talked to my family many months in advance before taking on an “Iron Distance” goal. This helps them be prepared for the many hours of training that will come to fruition. Also if you word it correctly they will feel involved and they will feel this is something they are helping you achieve. Make sure to tell them before and after the race that you could not have done this without them. That way they’ll feel a part of what you have accomplished.

9. Sharing parenting responsibilities and household chores, I am home with my daughter Mon.- Wed. And if for some reason I’m unable to do my workout before my wife gets home from work I make sure the house and yard is clean when she gets home. That way when I leave for my workout she doesn’t feel like I’m dumping the housework on her and avoiding my responsibilities to the family. Plus when there is no work to do when she gets home she usually enjoys some special time with our daughter while I train. Hey, if your significant other reads this they might push you to start training in hopes of you getting the housework done!

10. Involve your children. There are many companies that make 1,2, and 3 children strollers that you can push while running or pull behind your bike. They are made very safe and reliable now. You can also take your children to the track with you. They can play in the long jump pit, bring some toys to play with in the grass located in the middle of the track. Once they get a little older they can even do a little track running too. Make a game of it. When going to the pool take one of your children’s friends along to keep them company.

11. Combine races with vacations. Oh Ya! This one I learned early on! If there’s a race that is to far away to justify going to, do a little investigating before you bring it up. Find some events, activities, or sights that will interest your significant other and the children. That’s right, the old hook line and sinker.

12. Commute on your bike. You'll be creating a good base fitness, getting some of your bike training done while saving $ on gas, oil changes, and vehicle maintnance!

The next three aren’t as much time management tools. But they will help balance triathlon and family.

1. Controlling your moods. I have to make a definite effort at this. I can, at times feel a little worn down and a little grumpy after hard sessions or long days. My family has helped eminsly in this category. Tell them why it may happen on occasion. When my loved ones know in advance what is coming, they are much more understanding.

2.Eat nutrient dense foods and get plenty of sleep. This will help you from getting to grumpy, poor diet can lead to poor results from your training & can also cause overtraining syndrone. Sometimes my wife knows before I do when I’m overtrainning. She has gotten good at recognizing changes in attitude, and she is not afraid of letting me know:)

3. Stay flexible mentally. This is the hardest one for me. I’m trying to learn to be flexible when things don’t workout. As I’ve said before I’m a little obsessive compulsive. When something pops up that interferes with a workout I’m learning (ongoing!) to tell others and myself that it’s ok. In the long run this one workout doesn’t matter. I hope these tips help. And I promise that these, just like all skills, when practiced become easier with experience. God bless and happy training