The Juice Man Cometh...

So I made it through day one!!

Also, I bought a juicer at walmart today, they have a GE for $39 that seems to be a pretty good model, though loud as hell. I juiced a bunch of lemons, with the skin on, and am curious to see how it tastes tomorrow.

Today the cravings were there, and evil me tried to convince misguided me that it's really okay to eat one meal a day. Thankfully I didn't believe that crap, because if I actually want to do some sort of fast/cleanse where I achieve mental clarity and a new viewpoint, I kinda have to do this right.

I am planning on hitting the gym in the morning. I've packed clothes and a towel for tomorrow, and set out my work out pants and a t-shirt (and socks) for heading to the gym. The plan is to actually walk the dog a bit in the morning, maybe 15-20min, to get out and enjoy the sun. I've set my alarm for 5am; wish me luck!

Here's hoping tomorrow will be a bit easier!

PS- I drank about 16oz of water with about 2tsp of salt in it... I don't think that was entirely what's called for, but that's about all I will manage for the first time. Perhaps tomorrow night will be a little more successful.

"Spotlight" Exercise: Shoulders

I'm thinking of occasionally shining the proverbial spotlight on a particular exercise that I find fun and challenging and this is my test run.

In a perfect world, we wouldn't need anything other than the Press, Bench Press, Squat, Deadlift, and Bent Row (not counting bodyweight exercises), but we're human and we get bored!

This exercise is an example of Compound Training, which is basically a Super Set for a single muscle or muscle group, and is also referred to as a "Tri set" because there are three alternating exercises. The goal is to do 6 reps of upright row with the barbell, 8 reps of dumbbell lateral raises (each arm), and 6 reps of dumbbell side raises, without resting between exercises.

The Upright Row (images courtesy of ExRx.net)

In a controlled motion, raise the bar up to under your chin. Think of having strings attached to your elbows and pulling from there. This exercise is probably the best at targeting the lateral deltoid - that's the larger, central head. I use a closer grip than pictured in the example.

Front Raises

Keeping your elbow fixed, raise the dumbbell until your arm is parallel with the floor. Alternate arms until you have 8 reps for each. This will focus on the Anterior Deltoid.

Lateral Raises

Elbows slightly bent, and hips and knees slightly bent, raise the dumbbell to the side until it is shoulder height. This primarily works the Lateral Deltoid, but if you bend more at the hips it will focus more on the posterior.


This will have you pouring sweat after the 3rd set!

Enjoy, and let me know if this is a positive feature.