Madeoverman's Blog

A Six Pack, Captain Smiley, or Some Guy In The Middle?

madeoverman — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:27:21 +0000

A lot of the stuff I’ve read about getting ripped has to do with cutting carbs. And when I say cutting carbs I mean pretty drastically. For someone who deals with hypoglycmia and the mood swings that come with it going cold turkey off potatoes, pasta, and all types of simple and complex sugars can be a real bitch. My wife has been extremely gracious as I try to find the Holy Grail of the balance between staying lean and being someone she actually wants to be around. Out of this though I gotten to ponder. Over bowls of spaghetti and low carb protein shakes I’ve wondered. Would women rather have a ripped stud with a ‘tude OR a guy with a little fluff but who’s the happy-go-lucky life of the party..we’ll call him Captain Smiley. Maybe there’s a way to have both. Maybe you can have your near 5% bodyfat cake, and eat your lovable personality pie too – literally! Ladies, if you’re reading this please weigh in. I wanna know what you think about this. What do you prefer? Do you know any guys who’s all of this and a bag of chips?

The 4 Best Freakin’ Mens Colognes On The Planet!

madeoverman — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:05:01 +0000

Here’s a video talking about my favorite scents on the road. Also, check ‘em out online at:

http://www.fragrancenet.com

Day 6 – 30 Days of HIIT Training – Outdoors…Finally!!!!

madeoverman — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:42:18 +0000

So glad to finally be outside. Sprints rock. Started out pretty ambitious, but just starting out I kicked it back a bit. Check out my video below.

30 Days of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – Day 2 – Jump Knee Tucks

madeoverman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:22:42 +0000

It’s the first day of the intensive cardio part of my 30 days of HIIT training workout. Jump knee tucks are insane and a great option for when it’s cold outside. Doesn’t take a lot of them or a lot of time either. Within a few weeks the goal will be to do these at the fast pace for a minute and then rest for a minute 10 times. We’ll see. Check out the video below…

Day 1 – 30 Days of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

madeoverman — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:23:32 +0000

As promised today was the first day of my 30 days of HIIT (High Intensity Inverval Training) program. Having just finished P90X this will be an opportunity to see if I can reduce the amount of workout time while getting better results. Over the next 30 days you’ll get the play-by-play on each day’s workouts, some video, and pictures – before, progress, and afters. So, to keep true to that, here are my Day 1 pics. Stick with me and we’ll see if this really works or no.

My Before Pics…

30 Days of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Videos Starting Monday

madeoverman — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:07:59 +0000

Having just finished P90X about a month ago I am now in search of a new, less time-consuming, and more intense workout. With your fitness regimen you can go one of two ways. Either you go long and slow with lots of resting, or you cut your breaks and keep your intensity level up. Starting on Monday I am going to video chronicle 30 days of a new program I’ve been hearing a lot about and have recently dabbled in. This is the popular HIIT Training program. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. The idea is that by doing exercises like sprinting you actually achieve better results than you do by running long distances at slow to medium paces. Those kinds of workouts tear muscles down and won’t turn you into the stud of a Madeoverman you’re trying to be. Like with all workouts we’re gonna lay down a few ground rules, but just a few because too many hoops to jump through will make it less likely that I actually complete it. So, here are my workout and dietary rules for the next 30 days.

Diet

1) Eat 5 small meals/snacks per day with at least 35 grams of quality protein, with low glycemic carbs, and a small amount of good fat (olive oil, omegas from fish)

2) Keep my calorie intake to no more than 2,000 per day.

Workout

1) 3 resistance workouts per week, 3 HIIT workouts per week, and a day of rest. I’ll be using a list of exercises I’ve compiled.

2) Workouts will take no more than 30 minutes each day. I’m really going to try to keep them to 25 minutes or less (stretching, workout, cool down…the whole thing).

And that’s it. The idea is not to punish myself for long periods of droning aerobic activity and weights, but to get results. I’m new to this so we’ll both get to see if it really works. With the results thing in mind I’m also going to do a little shirts off time. No, it’s not to try to be some goofy, arrogant show-off. There’s no denying visual evidence though. Hopefully we’ll be able to see it, and you too can decide if this is the deal for you. And if it does work I’m glad to share the details of what I did.

Healthy Super Bowl Recipes – It’s About The Game, Bro…Oh, And Your Waistline Too

madeoverman — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:26:23 +0000

This weekend is the biggest sporting event of the year in the U.S. I’m waiting for it to become an official national holiday in the next few years…or at least the Monday after. This clash promises to be a pretty competitive one. For the Saints this is their first Super Bowl in their long team history. The face off between Brees and Manning oughta be pretty exhilerating. As always, where there’s a great sporting event, there will be food – lots of it. Rather than scarfing down loads of fat and calories why not try some of the healthy recipes below?

http://www.fitsugar.com/2692968

http://www.suite101.com/blog/healthycook/super_bowl_snacks

http://www.thegreenparent.com/2009/01/30/green-and-healthy-super-bowl-snacks/

Pregnant After “40″? It’s a Man’s Decision Too

madeoverman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:45:03 +0000

It’s a pretty common thing to hear about women over “40″ and over “50″, and sometimes in even more extreme situations, over “60″ having babies. While the focus is typically on the woman the man (remember us?) plays a part too. It’s as if the man is the Jerry McGuire parent – standing off to the side, while the woman gets all of the attention. True, the egg dwarfs our wee-little sperm, but we get to have our voices (however tiny they might be) heard. At 35 I married a woman six years older than me. She is 40 getting ready to turn 41. We have contemplated having another one for a couple years. Every time we get around babies or keep our friends’ babies, we get that googley-eyed look and the itsy bitsy warm and fuzzies. Then there’s the whole thing of changing bodies and whacked out schedules. While personal physical challenges and sleeplessness would definitely be part of the deal, those can be managed. I think the deal breaker for us was the risk to the prospective baby. At 40 so many complications can come up. The risk of having a child with Down Syndrome goes up to 1 out of 100 – this as compared to 1 out of 10,000 for a 20 -year old and 1 out of 1,000 for a 30-year old. Birth defects go up to 7-8%. Chances of having a miscarriage are 25%. Don’t get me wrong. I admire couples who have children over 40. I recently read Sarah Palin’s book and she talked about the emotional difficulties of knowing she would have a child with Down Syndrome. People who bring children into the world that God clearly intended to be here are real heroes. All I am saying is that if we have a choice (and we do at this point) then it may be best for us to stop contributing to world population and call good enough…good enough. If you are in this position, and thinking about what you should do, take a look at some of the resources online. Check them out below…

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/pregnancy_35_40.html

http://www.getpregnantover40.com/

http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/pcomplications/0,,467b,00.html

Livin’ The Sweet Life With Agave

madeoverman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:42:48 +0000

If you’ve read some of the diet books out there, a lot of the talk surrounds carbohydrates, and specifically a food’s glycemic index rating. Alright, so let’s start with what the glycemic index is. According to Wikipedia it is “a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels”. So much research has been done on foods and how they spike a person’s blood sugar or help keep it more even. From a dieter’s standpoint, the idea is that the lower a food rates on the glycemic index the better that food is for you from a carbohydrate usage standpoint. And this is very important because a more even blood sugar level is the best place in which to lose weight and get lean.

When it comes to sweeteners, there are countless options. You’ve got your articial ones like saccharin, nutra sweet, and the such. Extensive research has shown that these chemicals can have both terrible short-term and long-term effects. Then you have all of the “natural” sweeteners. They range from good ole table sugar, stevia, and honey. While these are generally better for you than the fake stuff, they are still not the best option. Sugar, for instance has a glycemic index rating of “92″ while honey’s is “83″. With a glycemic index rating of “0″, stevia is a great option for some. The taste, though, can be a turnoff.

In search of the perfect sweetener I came across one that I’ve found to be better from both a glycemic index standpoint as well as it having a wonderful taste. Agave nectar has a GI rating of only “27″. It is a smooth liquid, similar to honey, but not quite as thick. I like the taste even better than sugar and honey, and definitely more than stevia. It goes great in coffee and as a substitute in baking and other recipes. For more info on Agave check it out at http://www.blueagavenectar.com/.

Without These You’re Naked As A…

madeoverman — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:20:58 +0000

I really believe that it’s truly better to give than to receive. As a hardcore minimalist the list of stuff that I want is pretty short. For about 3 years, though, one thing stayed on it. Like a lot of you, when I work out listening to music or audiobooks is an absolute must. If you’ve done anything that requires moving your arms around a lot you know how much of a pain headphone cords can be. So, one day I was at Sam’s Club. While checking out the electronic stuff I found the coolest thing. It was wireless headphones. No doubt, this would be the very thing that would help my workout experience take a quantum leap. After doing some research and trying out another brand, I bought a set of Jaybird wireless headphones. And let me just tell you…they rock!!! It’s so cool to be able to walk around the house or do P90X or walk around outside and not have to constantly think about wire management. They come with a really nice little docking station that powers up by plugging into the USB port on your computer. They hold a charge for about 4 hours or so. Overall I’ve been extremely pleased with them. If you’re looking for a way to “cut the cord” give Jaybird a try. You can read about them on their website at http://www.jaybirdgear.com/.