Aug/090
Becoming Leonidas – Days 5 to 7
Workout #2
Let’s start right off with the numbers. Post-workout weigh-in put me at a solid 181.6 lbs. for a net gain of 1.8 lbs. over the first 5 days of the program. Here’s what I pulled off:
| Exercise | Weight | Reps |
| Leg press | 260# | 6 |
| Pullover | 55# | 7 |
| Bent row | 90# | 7 |
| Pec-dec | 135# | 5 |
| Dip | n/a | 8 |
| Leg curl | 110# | 9 |
| Rev. barbell curl | 35# | 8 |
| Barbell shrug | 75# | 7 |
| Calf raises | 110# | 8 |
| Sit ups, inclined* | 25# | 20 |
| Forward bend | 27.5# | 5 |
| Side bend, left | 27.5# | 7 |
| Side bend, right | 27.5# | 6 |
I improved modestly in most of the exercises, specifically below the belt. You know… leg muscles. Although I kept it in this time, I plan to drop barbell shrugs as I think the bent row covers the same bases. I had to drop the weight on the bent row because, although my arms and shoulders could handle the heft, I felt a lot of strain on my lower back.
This time around, I did standard dips with no weight. Also, after doing the situps, I realized that I hadn’t used the same cadence as with the rest of the routine but instead I pumped them out as fast as possible.
Cadence and Negative Movement
I’ve neglected to mention cadence until now. It’s simply the speed with which you perform a given exercise. For the past two workouts I’ve been using a 5-5 cadence, which means I lift for a count of five and then lower for a count of five during each repetition. Focusing on lowering the weight helps squeeze more work out of each rep. This lowering is called negative movement and is one of the key concepts in high intensity training.
Saturday
As mentioned previously, Saturday means I can eat what I like. I started off the day with a nice cold ice cream cone, had some spicy Cheetos’s, and finished the night at a bar. After an accident involving some tequila, I ended up crashing at a friend’s place in the city. As a result, I missed night and morning of supplements. Oops.
Keeping up with the diet and supplement regimen has been the hardest part of the trial mainly because it’s extra overhead in my schedule that I’m not used to. Before the trial began, I had been going to the gym about 5 times per week. Since that’s dropped to only two hour-long sessions, I sometimes get antsy and want to workout or at least do a good set of push-ups. Normally, I’d just go for it, but I’m trying to stick to the plan.
Overall, I feel like I’m benefiting from it all, but I don’t think the end result will be nearly as impressive as that reported by Mr. Ferriss. While getting into shape for an awesome halloween costume is the stated goal of this 30 day program, I hope to establish a sustainable diet and exercise habit as a bonus. I hope to go into more detail on that point in the near future.
Jul/090
Becoming Leonidas – Days 2 to 4
I peel back the lid and a pungent, citrus aroma forces itself upon my olfactory organs. The scoop moves easily through the powder, tossing up a fine dust. Suddenly I taste something sweet; ghost of a tortured Valencia. The addition of water brings forth a gentle effervescent hiss while a light foam forms near the lip of my glass. I pause, considering that the word “quaff” seems eerily appropriate.
Minutes later a surge of energy courses through me. I’ve never used amphetamines, but my mind imagines it must begin like this.
The Orange Fizzy Draught of Energy
Ok, enough with the waxing poetical. While the comparison to speed may have been overreaching, NO-XPLODE
As I understand it, these sorts of supplements work mainly by increasing nitric oxide levels and providing a solid dose of creatine. Nitric oxide (the NO in NO-XPLODE… so many caps… too xtreeme…) acts as a vasodilator, thereby increasing blood flow during exercise. It works a lot like Viagra, actually. Creatine helps to deliver energy to muscles and has a long history of use as a strength training supplement. Combined with the caffeine, you should have more energy during the workout, allowing for more lifting in a single session. It seemed to work for me, at least a little, but it may just have been the placebo effect. Either way, I’ll take it.
First Workout
During my first high intensity workout I did a couple of exercises I’d never done before, the bent row for example. At the end, I didn’t feel as tired as I have after working out other times, but I had still had a good sweat going. In terms of actually working until muscle failure, I think I pushed about 90% as hard as I should have. Since I’m more comfortable with the routine now, workout two will focus on output. Here’s what my routine consisted of the first time out:
| Exercise | Weight | Reps |
| Leg press | 240# | 9 |
| Pullover | 55# | 6 |
| Bent row | 115# | 5 |
| Pec-dec | 135# | 4 |
| Weighted dip | 25# | 6 |
| Leg curl | 95# | 7 |
| Barbell shrug | 70# | 7 |
| Calf raises | 90# | 5 |
| Sit ups, inclined | 20# | 15 |
| Forward bend | 25# | 8 |
| Side bend, left | 25# | 8 |
| Side bend, right | 25# | 7 |
The barbell shrugs were supposed to be reverse barbell curls and I just did them wrong. The forward bend and side bends were done on a stand that supports your legs and hips. I can’t figure out what it’s called at the moment 
. Weighing in after the workout put me at 182.8 lbs., a gain of 3 lbs. from the day prior.
Diet
Oh right, the best part about working out? The delicious chocolate-peanut-butter protein shake afterwards. I’m using Syntha-6
Sticking to the diet has been tough so far, in large part because I’ve been busy at work. The beef and bean combo with some occasional veggies mixed in has been my staple food. Tabasco makes it much better. I’ve eaten out twice, once at an indian buffet (chick peas and tandoori chicken) and again at a teriyaki place (spicy chicken, replace the rice with steamed veggies).
At first, I wasn’t getting enough of the high-complexity carbs, so I felt hungry pretty soon after eating. The thought of candy or ice-cream became extremely tempting, but adding more beans has really helped.
I had a nagging headache on most of day three and felt a little out of it. It’s been extra hard to wake up in the morning too. Day 4 felt better; I had a lot of energy and focus at work, even though I started getting sleepy late in the afternoon (I got up at 10 a.m.). I think the varying levels of energy are mostly due to my caffeine intake both from the NO-XPLODE and from coffee/tea throughout the day.
Other Supplements
Besides the aforementioned NO-XPLODE and Synthia-6, I’m taking a few other things to aid the workout routine.
Niacin
Mainly taken for it’s ability to promote the production of human growth hormone. It seems to have other beneficial effects as well, like lowering cholesterol and aiding in carbohydrate metabolism. One of the possible side effects is a niacin flush, which makes skin red and itchy for about a half an hour. I use ’no-flush’ niacin to prevent this.
Currently I’m taking 500mg 1-2 times per day. That’s a bit much for long term supplementation; I would reduce it significantly if I keep using it after the trial ends.
Alpha Lipolic Acid (ALA)
Although it plays a role in sugar metabolism and energy production, its powerful antioxidant properties are the primary reason to supplement with ALA. Strenuous exercise produces a lot of oxidative stress on the body and antioxidants help to mitigate any resulting damage. I’m currently taking 300 mg of ALA twice a day.
Chromium Picolinate
Chromium plays a role in insulin production and regulation. Chromium deficiency may lead to reduced insulin sensitivity. That’s bad in general; it can lead to type 2 diabetes. For strength training purposes, reduced insulin sensitivity means longer recovery times as insulin helps direct glucose and other fuels into muscle and fat cells after you eat. I take 200 mcg, twice a day.
Polisocanol
Supposed to promote heart health and lower cholesterol, the claims made by proponents of this supplement might be bullshit. I’ve included it primarily because Tim Ferriss had it in his supplementation list and I’m trying to approximate his program. 10 mg, once a day before bed.
Red Wine
I have a small glass of red wine every night before bed. It contains resveratrol, antioxidants, and alcohol.
Next Steps
My second workout is tomorrow, I hope to apply the things I’ve learned from the first and have an even better session. I’m also really looking forward to Saturday, as I’ve deemed that my weekly ‘day off’ from the diet. The idea is two-fold, prevent my body from adapting to a very specific diet and reward myself for sticking to the plan. Expect another writeup after my workout tomorrow.