Saturday, August 30, 2008


Round 3 Week 8+ P90X
Thu. - Wed.: Rest + Carb Rush(es)

FYI: Gustav Ning Site: All things Gustav...

Headed up north on Train 92, Amtrak, Thu. morning -- enjoying a few days with Uncle Todd and little Lauren. Taking in the sights at Independence Hall in downtown Philly, playing games, going to a traditional Roman Catholic carnival, and all the rest.

Highlights: Full-on, real, insanely GOOD Philadelphia Cheesesteaks, South Philly style, touching history at Indie Hall, hanging with Todd and Lauren, memories of our youth taking the kids to the church carnival, a la St. Boniface in Williamsport.

Here's a pair of photo albums from our first full day together -- enjoy! Just click each photo below to see pictures taken by Will and Lauren's digital cameras, and mine. ;)


Thursday, August 28, 2008

Wednesday, August 27, 2008



Round 3 Week 8 P90X

Wednesday: Rest

I'm sure you've had one of those mornings, P90Xers... You wake up at the crack o' dark and realize, in your bones, that this is the first day that you can remember that you're crazy-tired. Sure, you've fought through the haze before and won. You've battled your droopin' eyelids to nail a routine and felt the rush of success afterwards.

But... in Week 8, fudging things a bit to push back a rest phase a few days, that you're body's plum had it. Mine has. So I gave in, got myself an extra 1.5 hours of sleep, and I feel pretty darn good for it.

Guilty? A little.

Insane rain this morning -- thunder and lightning, and sheets of gray, cold rain. Just what we need -- but it's like 8 p.m. at 8 a.m. -- Fall is close. You can smell it in the air.

Time to finish up some work, and pack for Will and I's trip up north on the ol' Amtrak all day tomorrow. Can't wait! Will make a little film and find a spot to post it... Enjoy your hump day.




Tuesday, August 26, 2008


Round 3 Week 8 P90X
Tuesday: P90X Plyometrics

Tuesday + Plyometrics = Sweat Bath (Tony + Insane = True)

Getting anxious for our trip up to Uncle Todd and Lauren later this week -- Will wakes up, first thing he's asking about, "Dad, is it time to get on the train today?" Not yet buddy, not yet... soon. Will be a super memory for him, and I'm anxious to experience it as well. Bringing lots of activities, gotta keep 'em busy. Can you say modded dual DS's for teh time sink win?


Monday, August 25, 2008


Round 3 Week 8 P90X
Monday: P90X Back, Shoulders & Tris + Bike

Nice relaxing weekend -- still working hard this week, despite it being Week 8. Will be heading up to Todd's abode on Thursday for a long visit, will take my break then. So from M-W this week, it's all work and no play for Timmy.

Rocked the upper body this morning, tons of push ups, weight work, and all the rest. Burned the ol' triceps like mad and pushed through the bonkin' into new territory with the push ups.

Tons of newsletters to knock out early this week to keep the ProQuest customers joyful in early September -- enjoy your week!




Sunday, August 24, 2008


Round 3 Week 7 P90X
Friday: P90X Legs and Back
Sat. & Sun.: Maxin' & Relaxin'

Had a very, very hard time getting out of bed @ 5 a.m. this morning. Still shaking off some small stomach-bug stuff, coming and going, and making it hard to get max reps. Here's hoping it doesn't get any worse.

Best thing was to launch myself out of bed -- thanks Deli cat for meowing .1 inches from my ear to feed you guys! -- get 16 oz. of water and some granola bars into me, then nail the Legs and Back.

Surprised myself with a super-strong start, then kept it up throughout. Really focused on form through the tip-toe lunges, pull ups, and all the rest. Killed the ol' hamstrings and calves, and maxed it to the end.

Ate some fruit and kick butt waffles (healthy whole grain w/flax for teh win!) then nearly lost it all... Yikes.

Breath, darn it, breath. Made it.

Skippin' the trail today, lots to knock down @ work. Can you believe Labor Day is next weekend? Holy smokes, it's Fall... Must be Round 3 week 7. ;)

Thursday, August 21, 2008


Round 3 Week 7 P90X
Wednesday: P90X Back & Biceps
Thursday: P90X Yoga X

Thu: Yoga, got 45 mins, stomach hurt, took a break... Tons of energy though for the trails. Hoping I won't hurl!

Wed.: Nice workout this morning -- though I had some serious stomach aching here and there. Deb's come down with a crazy stomach bug, hit her like a ton of bricks last night at the library after she ate something another staffer offered. Bad idea. Home early, nasty.

Then this morn, my stomach achin' trying to do pull ups and the like, anything remotely bent over was tough.

So to add insult to injury, here I am at Eva Perry Regional Library, the scene of last night's crime, shooting pickups for our next full-length training video -- this one for ProQuest Platinum. All done, about to head back over to get William from his crazy-good gymnastics class.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Rock Hard Abs, LOLCATS-style...


Round 3 Week 7 P90X
Tuesday: P90X Plyometrics + Lawn Sweatbath

Brought my bucket today, Tony, and filled it with some serious work -- Plyo-style. Up, down, all around, maxing the reps, feeling the burn, shredding those calories. (Pic above = sum total of all upper body/bi/tri/shoulder workouts to date. Is that my arm? Can't be.)

Just got the next One on One with Tony Horton DVDs -- Road Warrior? Nice. Looks like a bring-a-weight-band workout on the road and max your time in your hotel room. Just the kinda workout we don't yet have between P90X, P90X+, original Power 90, etc. Very, very handy. (Now to get a chance to watch it and verify this!)

Tons to do today, bring it!

Monday, August 18, 2008


Round 3 Week 7 P90X
Monday: P90X Shoulders, Tris, Bis + Bike

Nice relaxing weekend behind me -- totally ready to rock the new week. Carb'd up last night at dinner, pushed myself to the limit this a.m. with Shoulders/Tris/Bis, and really felt the quaking upper body/arms afterwards. Very good stuff, good weight, extra reps, good form.

Got in some serious Olympics viewing -- cheers to Mr. Phelps for 8-8 and the showboating-cuz-he-can in the last 15 meters insane Jamacian sprinter -- not to mention the trio of Jamacian women who took all the medals last night. Amazing what we can push our bodies to do, and I'm glued to the set.

Will is attending his first gymnastics class this morning, having a blast no doubt. Just him and one other girl, sounds good for some personal attention. Track outs are fun ;) and I know Deb could use the break in the mornings for this class. Nice.

Lots to do this week, as always -- have a good one wherever you are!

Friday, August 15, 2008


Round 3 Week 6 P90X
Friday: P90X Back & Legs + Bike
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest


It's really no surprise that my legs are pretty darn sore on the weekends -- what with the bike rides during the week and, heck, the LEGS and back routine hitting solidly in the early morn of my lovely Friday.

Start with the exaggerated, leg-on-chair, down for 25 per leg squats, then moving on to the wall squats (MONEY) -- double legs then single, oh yes -- lots of calf raises, super skaters, 2 X lunges arms up back and again for 24 total -- it's all about killin' the legs. Oh yea, there's a few dozen pull-ups in there too, but heck, those don't really count, right? ;)

Lots to do today, final touches on final email newsletters @ ProQuest, then lots to catch up on and hit hard next week pre-Labor Day. Can it really be almost September?

Speaking of that, Will tracks out next week. Track 2 kids, home for three weeks. Nice. (Today's picture taken in the guest room with the silly stick-on of Will doing his thing. LOL!) He'll take gymnastics all next week in the morning (his new fav thing, yes yes, the Olympics, Will see on TV he want to do IRL)...

...and then he and I will head up to see the ol' triplet Uncle Todd and lovely Lauren for six days right over Labor Day. Taking the train up from Cary to 30th St. Station/Philly, 8 hours up and back, two days straight, just Will and I, a few gadgets, a snack car with awesome views of the worst real estate on the East Coast ;) and some fun station stops.

BTW like the new blue-Tim-cut-like-a-Manga-guy avatar? Sure you do. Make one for your blog or FaceBook page at http://www.faceyourmanga.com.

Thursday, August 14, 2008


(Woah, post 301 -- maybe he'll have something interesting and
pithy to say today? What a snob. Who even says "pithy" anymore?)

Round 3 Week 6 P90X

Thursday: P90X Yoga X + BIKE

So Will is in his room, around the corner, as I boot up my manifold electronic devices, and he's singing at the top of his lungs, one of his newest joys:

America, AMERICA,
I've never been to America!

It's so good,
and it's so bad,
I've never been to AMERICA!
I've never been to AMERICA!

I've never been like
this or that,
but I'm singin' this song!

America, AMERICA,
I've never been to America!

Sing it Will! He certainly has the pop song cadence down -- stick to a theme, repeat it till you're blue in the face, with a catchy rhythm, pump up the "America" part to 11, and there you have it -- instant hit.

Yea, so, post 301 today on the ol' blog... hard to believe. Lots documented here, an unlikely journey from fat to thin, 51 pounds returned to the universe -- from postponing fitness to bringing it with Tony daily and adding lots of physical activity to my life.

A little over 18 months of struggle and light pain and blog rolling to get me to today -- 178-180 on the scale, looking like a completely different man in the mirror, and loving every minute of it. I mean, Tim with muscles? Too cool for school.

The whole thing is... it was EASY. Sure, there was hard work involved, but, making the habit stick -- not a challenge. Once I'd made up my mind that taking a statin forever wasn't an option, and that I wanted to hit my 20th high school reunion looking like a proper grad (coming up first weekend in Oct.) -- that combo (equal parts healthy and vanity) really made it real for me. I pressed play everyday, followed the diet, did the routines, and... well, that's it.

It's true -- 99% of success is just showing up.

Which brought me to Yoga today, feeling fine, and looking forward to a serious ride on the trails with Wes -- they're sure to be pretty darn wet today, so will need 30% more energy to keep those tires moving in the packed gravel surface.

Good. Very, very good...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008


Round 3 Week 6 P90X
Wednesday: P90X Back and Biceps

Hit the trails with trusty Wes yesterday, and worked myself to exhaustion by the end of the day... the rain is here today, so it's a crazy-free lunchtime ahead methinks.

As for the early morn, none of that -- just crazy bicep pumping and lots of pull-ups. It all felt great, until the near-end when I felt a touch like I wanted to toss me cookies. Went pretty heavy with the weights today, so I ramped it down at the end and hit the carbs @ breakfast to help the muscles recover.

TONS to do today -- I'm off!

Take that, Michael Phelps...

Tuesday, August 12, 2008


Round 3 Week 6 P90X
Tuesday: One on One: PlyoLegs & Bike

Decided to hit the warm up from Plyometrics then swap in Tony's all-new One on One PlyoLegs -- it's like Plyo, only Plyo-more... more legs, more crazy squatting goodness, more reps, more crazy new moves, more of Tony's "I got a lotta free time" coaster-cut side to side moves, and all the rest.

Left me out of breath near the end, feeling the burny-burn in the thighs, enjoying some 90 second single and double-leg wall squats, and a workout shirt that did its duty on sweat patrol.

Nailed the full trail yesterday, hoping to do the same again today with Sir Wes -- lots to do. Time to bring it!



Monday, August 11, 2008


Round 3 Week 6 P90X
Monday: P90X Shoulders, Tris, Bis + Ab Ripper X & Bike

Go USA! Oops... there I go again. NBC and the press all whipping us up in to a pro-USA fury during the Summer Olympics. I think we tend to forget -- Americans anyway -- the true spirit of the Games.

That is, thousands of amateur athletes from dozens and dozens of countries coming together to compete in the name of more than nationalistic pride, but for the sake of competition in general, and sportsmanship. I try to temper my NBC watching with visiting websites in Canada and the UK/Europe to temper my understanding and see broader coverage... I urge you to do the same, if you can.



So, long weekend behind me... felt pretty crazy-sore in the legs and thighs as usual. Seems to be a recurring theme with P90X -- work hard all week, hit Saturday like a brick wall, in terms of soreness. Do some light cardio/stretching to keep things moving if I can -- not this weekend, still felt a little off, Deb has a nasty cough/cold atm, and I felt pretty energy-less -- and really feel the legs locking up some Sunday.

That said, Monday morning finds me with some minor recovery complete, and plenty of mental energy to hit the new week... HARD. My arms were burning, really churned through the push ups and other moves, and got through most of Ab Ripper in good form with harder positioning, before the little guy made his appearance.

Back on the diet, back on the horse with Tony, and a nice ride on the ATT scheduled for the lunch hour. Ooooo yea... Nice way to kick off Week 6 of Round 3 of P90X.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

NFL Player Gets Record Results with P90X

Ok, ok... he's an Eagle. We can't all be perfect (go Bears!) but... this is yet another incredible success story for P90X. I love this program -- and in the middle of my third round down 51 pounds overall, I can attest to its impact. Read on and enjoy your Olympic weekend. (Sorry to hear about Bernie Mac, sad day.)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – [Philadelphia Eagles kicker] David Akers acknowledged he was embarrassed. A perfectionist, he keeps diligent track of his statistics in practice, games, and training camp. That's why his 2-for-10 clip from beyond 40 yards last season made him desperate to change something.

Then one day, while in Dallas during the off-season, Akers saw an infomercial for a new training regimen called P90X.

"I said, you know what, it looks legit because it's not some gimmick," Akers recalled. "It [involves] actually working hard and changing the regimen all the time."

He tried it for the sake of change. He did not intend to lose weight, but he ended up dropping 20 pounds and 6 percent of his body fat.

And his leg feels stronger. He has shown that in camp. Akers, out to prove last season was a fluke, has made two 60-yard field goals, including one yesterday.

"I'd be real happy if I was able to keep this type of power and consistency through the season," Akers said.

Last season, Akers lacked on deep kicks for the first time in his career. For a lifetime 68.1 percent kicker from beyond 40 yards, 2 for 10 was like a slap in the face.

He convinced Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder, who said he lost 30 pounds on the regimen. "And he was standing on a chair doing it at first," Akers said. Burkholder has the injured Eagles doing parts of the training system.

Special-teams coordinator Rory Segrest sees a different Akers, who now weighs 183 pounds. "He's showing really good leg strength right now," Segrest said. "He's hit them in warm-ups. He's hit them during our team reps."

The first day Akers came to camp, he nearly hit a 70-yard field goal. That's when he realized that maybe this P90X regimen could pay off.

"There's something to it," Akers said of his new training technique. "It's not like, 'Hey, take this pill, you're going to lose 40 pounds of fat.' You bust your butt. It's tough."

Friday, August 08, 2008


Round 3 Week 5 P90X
Friday: P90X Legs & Back
Saturday & Sunday: Rest + Walks (Still not feeling 100%)


First up, the image above. As I'd written about previously, I'm having a crazy-fun time working with my Sony HD camera, iMovie (Mac), and Camtasia (PC) to produce training videos and podcasts for our tiny (but oo so mighty skunkworks) K-12 marketing team at ProQuest.

It's back to school time, and my first four new podcasts were posted today -- they'll appear in our email newsletters in the coming days. Now you can see me biking the American Tobacco Trail and get some inside info on on our popular (click each to see the vids) eLibrary, SIRS, CultureGrams, and ProQuest Platform research solutions.

Once you're done laughing at me/bouncing your head to the beat of the royalty-free GarageBand loops ;) it's back to business... Legs and Back. Love the wall squats, rocked the leg moves all around, had some issues with the pull-ups -- then got some serious stomach upset at the end. Deb's got a cold, and I think I have a touch of it. Not enough to sideline me, but it's taken my strength to a large degree.

No matter, will keep hitting it hard!

Thursday, August 07, 2008


Round 3 Week 5 P90X
Hump Day: P90X Back & Biceps & No Bike (Lunch Rest!)
Thursday: P90X Yoga X + Biking with Wesman


Who said getting back into the P90X routine after a taken-seriously recovery/rest week is over is... easy.

Not... me.

Feeling frayed at the edges, crashing here and there but slogging through. Just pushing play? Yes. Bringing it? Yes, best I can -- some bright spots of increased weight and reps here and there, but overall, nailing the standard reps and really, really feeling the burn at the end.

It honestly feels pretty darn good to push my limits daily on this stuff. Does it make me tired? Yep. Does it make me proud? Moreso, yes. And I intend to not stop, ever. This is too important to slack it off.

And today, the ol' glamour muscle routine hammering the biceps and back, I was really feeling it. And the proof is in the double-barrel guns o' biceps.

First time those have shown up on this bod. Welcome guys!



Tuesday, August 05, 2008


Round 3 Week 5 P90X
Tuesday: P90X Plyometrics & Bike

Wow, what a comeback yesterday/Monday... From pure rest week to pure insanity. Heh.

The biking took me over the egde -- really ripped myself up P90X-style, then put the hammer down on the ol' lunchtime biking. Got through 60% of the ride in usual fashion, then there it was -- my shadow was back. Gave 'em a full two mile head start, then trucked it till I could pass -- did -- then felt a crazy nasty pull in my stomach muscles.

Nice, Tim, nice.

Pulled it together, stayed ahead my last 1/2 mile to the car, then did some super-sweating and stretching before pulling out of the lot.

I win.

Hit Plyo hard this morning, but really feeling tired now just as my work day is kicking off. Added some carbs to the breakfast to bring back some energy, slowly recovering.

"Wikipedia is accurate."
Citation needed.


Like my new shirt above? I'm getting pretty tired of people telling me that Wikipedia-style, user-created, citation-lacking "free" knowledge is going to rule the world. I'd like to see a citation for that little gem.

No one has the time, energy, or expertise to be a real expert at anything these days, and consulting vetted sources and content that only a company like ProQuest can pull together from top-quality publications/sources will be sufficient for serious research.

I dare anyone to prove me wrong. Wikis are a 3rd or 4th tier source for "information" in my book. Important? Yes. One of MANY sources of initial invesigation? Sure. Top-quality, primary source material? Not on your life.

True. True.


Monday, August 04, 2008


Round 3 Week 5 P90X
Monday: P90X Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps + Ab Ripper X & Bike

Rest week, embraced. Sales meeting/trip, done. Week 5 of P90X Round 3, begun.

Why not kicks things off in super-high gear with the 1-2 punch of shoulders/tris/bis, pair it with the crazy Ab Ripper X of yore, and look ahead to some serious bike miles. Sure, why not.

Really felt the burn, had the usual push-up issues (15 reps in first round, 10 in last max, without being able to come back up) but hit the shower and felt 50% crying in the arms as I washed my hair. Good sign, in the past I'd really groan getting the ol' meathooks over my head, but it wasn't painful at all. Just some internal reminder that, boy, you worked it, thanks, but this is no problem.

Had Dad and Kathy over for the weekend, a motorized mini Harley in tow for Will. 'Course, we'll never get him off the thing now, and it's all good.

LOTS to do this week, welcome to August, time to rock it.