The Peak Condition Project

April 23, 2012 4:24 AM EDT

Day 90 + !

I am so sorry with being so remiss on the final post... I wanted to thank Thomas and everyone in Caelum for the support. I feel like this has been among the most successful things I've done in terms of personal fitness.

Net result is a loss of 7.5 kg, and I feel good about it; like it will stay off. Many of the lessons on "how to eat" were so reinforcing, and I've kept all of the weekly exercise plans as well.

What might be most important to me is that I've been able to incorporate what I've learned into another long-term set of goals. I used the exercises to build a 6-day a week program, where I practice power yoga three days, and on intermittent days I do a selection of exercises from the PCP menu. I feel really good about this... and the blend between resistance training at the PCP level (about week 8!) and the yoga is something that I think I can maintain for the long-term.

This has been fun, and I think life-changing for me, and I look forward to carrying what I've learned on into the next chapter.

All the best,

Vince

April 3, 2012 9:35 AM EDT

Day 80 - Home Stretch

Well, it's been a great holiday in the Phils with my older sons, and I had the added bonus of my 16 year old asking me how he could get in better shape... took him to the gym at the Mandarin and got him doing pushups with the bars, as well as V-sits and curls with the resistance bands. Maybe one of the better payoffs of this whole experience is helping him set achievable fitness goals... he really enjoyed working out with me.

He also took a couple of photos of me working out, as I hadn't posted any photos in a while, I'll try to put one up when I get to Hong Kong and can upload it.

I'm off my lows for the weight that I lost, but still I'm down from 90kg on day 1 to 83.5kg today, and I'm happy with the progress... Also convinced that I can keep up the regimen, mixed in with more running and yoga, once I relocate to Singapore later this year.

More later, with some "Day 80" photos as well.

March 28, 2012 5:21 PM EDT

Day 75 - Holiday!

I'm off on the first one-week break I've gotten in almost a year... really looking forward to it. I'll be in the Philippines, at a place that has an excellent gym, and looking forward to working out every day... and yes, I can manage the diet there too!

It feels like years (it is years, actually) that I've been this fit... really looking forward to lounging by the pool and soaking up some sun.

March 23, 2012 7:23 PM EDT

Day 70 - 83kg...

Another hectic week of travel, interrupted by 2 days with a case of bad stomach flu, and one pizza binge on fantasy baseball draft night, but I still managed to drop another kg to the lowest weight I've been in nearly 3 years!

The flu had me in bed for a day and half, left me feeling weak, but I've managed to regroup in the past couple of days and am looking forward to a rally for the final couple weeks of PCP.

March 18, 2012 5:19 AM EDT

Day 64 - Not pumped, but thinner!

Took advantage of another sunny day in Hong Kong to go running down by the water in Pokfulam... and up the steps to Victoria Road, before a grueling set of lunges... I'm still not doing pistol squats so substituted a couple of sets of 25 squats...

The v-sits are coming easier, and I find that I'm pushing myself to get my legs higher on each rep.

Back in Hong Kong after nearly a couple of months, lots of friends commenting on how much weight I've lost, or "have you been working out? You look great..." And I have to say it makes me feel great.

Would really like to get a better picture, but something about taking photos of myself makes me stop with a half-assed attempt. But trust me, I think I normally look a bit more pumped than this photo! The main think I'm happy about is that those are size 32 Calvins, and look ma, no muffin-top! I'm 6'2", 83.5 kg, and feelin' pretty good about that.

Can't wait to see how this turns out... 26 days to see how far I can take it.

March 17, 2012 2:03 AM EDT

Day 63 - Feeling pretty good about it

Back in Hong Kong for a few days, and I used today to do a nice 5k run down by the water in Pokfulam in the sun with no shirt on (and not worried about the way I looked with no shirt on!) and some extra reps when I got back up the steps to the flat.

It's been an off week for the exercise but I have nailed the diet (for a change) an I'm psyched to put up pictures finally on Sunday. I had a loose goal of losing 10kg over the course of the PCP program, and so far I'm down a bit over 6... may not nail it, but man I feel good, and I think that's pretty much the general idea.

March 12, 2012 5:39 PM EDT

Day 59 - New Lows!!

I finally broke the 85kg barrier... 84.2 kg when I stepped on the scale this morning! Woo Hoo!

One month to go, and I'm pumped to see how far now I can take this in the last few weeks.

March 11, 2012 1:50 AM EST

Day 57 - Into the home stretch

Sorry about being offline, it's been a tough week at work with another tough one on the horizon! No photo yet either (next week I promise)... but take my word for it that I'm down still about 5kg, and doing the exercises (and the yoga) pretty faithfully all things considered.

Hoping for a renewed shot of enthusiasm this week, and I'm taking bets that I can lose another 1.5kg by next Saturday!

March 6, 2012 7:24 AM EST

Day 52 - Indulgence?

I had a vegetarian burrito with black beans, guacamole, and just a touch of sour cream, and a very small bowl of pasta (I mean a handful) with only enough cheese to flavor it.

Still feel like I pigged out.

Evening off of the exercise too, as I have a conference call marathon ongoing... but I'm fired up about getting shed of those last few kg's until the end of the program.

March 3, 2012 3:43 AM EST

Day 49 - Egg Whites a-go-go

Two months ago if anyone had told me I'd be looking forward, yearning, in fact... to a plain egg white omelette on Saturday afternoons, I'd have laughed in their face. "haha" I'd say... "you must be joking". No more. Even with my more than occasional dietary indiscretions, I'm down the better part of 5kg and about halfway to the target weight I'd set at the start of PCP.

I may not have a six-pack coming out the other side of the program, but I'm banking on fitting into size 32 Calvins with no muffin top, as the ladies say.

My only regret is that if I'd actually stuck to the diet so far, I'd probably be down a lot more! But the benefits of this thing are really starting to show. My first attempts at the dreaded V-Sit were a total comedy, and now I can snap out 8 to 10 on the first set no worries, and struggle on through the rest of the sets pretty nicely.

I had a nice run around the palace today, and it's great to feel taut in my upper back and shoulders, and to feel the gentle uphill slope on the backside of the run (pun intended).

Had an excellent yoga practice today too, with my teacher the amazing Yoshie, who continually reinforces how the core strength I'm building through this program is helping my yoga, which along with running is my long-term fitness thang.

Week 8 baby. Bring it on.

February 28, 2012 5:03 AM EST

Day 45 - PCP on the Road

Coming to you live from The Four Seasons Singapore, where they have an excellent gym, very few egg whites, and unfortunately an otherwise terrific menu.

Able to get in a great workout today, but hanging my head in shame on yet another violation of the PCP code of diet ethics. Let's just say that my subcutaneous fat will live to fight another day.

We have 45 days left, and I am determined to get back on track on the diet.

February 24, 2012 2:34 AM EST

Day 41 - Back in the Saddle

After a short hiatus, I'm back. My right knee has decided that pistol squats are not going to be in the program, ever. I have to admit it was discouraging sitting out a few days and I thought of giving up on PCP completely, but today I was able to do half squats as a substitute for the legs (60 reps total), and do the rest of the exercises without any frustrations. Felt good, in fact, to bang out a few extra pushups, and I did 2x sets of plank on top of the abs workout just to let my body know we were back in the game.

Pictures going up Saturday.

February 18, 2012 8:38 AM EST

Day 35 - Still Alive

Motivation is getting harder to muster up late in the week... but I'm soooo glad when I hit the weekend and I can double-down. Also been able to keep at the yoga on Saturdays and Sundays, and this has really helped me to measure my physical progress as I move through the asanas progressively easier... holding the poses longer and going deeper. An hour of decent power yoga in the morning and the PCP workout before a hot ofuro in the evening on weekends... I realize that living the semi-bachelor lifestyle up here in Japan with my family in Hong Kong has afforded me an opportunity to really concentrate on getting in shape... and besides, it keeps me out of trouble when I might otherwise have too much spare time on my hands!

I missed two days of exercise this week, but made up for one today. Was off-diet on two days this week as well, not huge, but still not on plan, and I know I cannot make those up but will push harder when I can.

Realize that at 52 I'm probably not the oldest guy to ever go through PCP, but I think that having an extra day off once in a while has helped my recovery from the workout regimen and I come back stronger each time.

February 16, 2012 8:48 AM EST

Day 33 - Second Wind

Starting to like the way my clothes fit a little better, and getting my energy levels up. Fair warning, I'm letting myself have that cheeseburger Friday night. I'm still down only 4kg, but honestly I'm feeling good.

Boo YAH!

February 13, 2012 7:36 AM EST

Day 30 - First Really Tough Day

But I got through it... V-sits, bring it. No carbs? Bring it. Dips? Bring it.

Even tossed in an extra set of plank.

I could absolutely CRUSH a cheeseburger now. Don't bring it.

February 11, 2012 6:34 AM EST

Day 28 - Feelin' it

Really got it today when I was doing yoga... my whole body feels tighter (in a good way), when I go through chatarunga or into any of the lower body stuff I feel stronger and more agile. Can't wait to see how it continues to progress.

Using the weekend to catch up on sleep... getting a hot ofuro tonight and sleeping in Sunday.

February 10, 2012 10:29 AM EST

Day 27 - Trudging Through It

Thursday was an off day... came home late, tired with a bad stomach. Took the day off from PCP. Back on track Friday, and I didn't forget about the "indulgence". Fries and a slice of pie with dinner, but only after I nailed the V-ups.

Will make up the missed day Saturday, and back on the diet. Have lost nearly 4kg!

February 7, 2012 7:56 AM EST

Day 24 - Raising the bar!

Wow... it looked so much easier on paper. I have come to the conclusion that it is much easier to watch someone else exercise than to do it yourself. Anyway... I was not expecting the shoulder presses or the plank to be as tough as they were. But I'm still pretty happy with myself for getting the entire series in between conference calls tonight! Hitting a mid-week sleep deprivation wall again... realize it's not good for me but it seems by Wednesday I'm pretty much cashed out and in need of another 3 hours in the day. Fully diet compliant this week though, and that's coming much easier now that I've hit a stride with the program and I can actually see and feel a difference. Have to admit that the first two-plus weeks I was having trouble getting on board, but now I'm in a groove with this and it is becoming a self-sustaining thing. Need recipies! I am not that creative in the kitchen, and am actually getting pretty bored with my own cooking. Bachelor lifestyle and doing PCP with very little eating out is killing my taste buds!

February 4, 2012 7:00 PM EST

Day 22 - Who moved my carbs?

So no carbs after lunch? Okay, I can do that... I am still having trouble eating veges first thing in the morning... normally I eat them on the desk as a snack instead.

Found this great buffet place to have lunch during the week. 6th floor Shin Maru bil... a Brazilian place the will make the burger (which is now too big!) and a salad bar with fresh veges which I could eyeball out into servings in line with the what we were able to have for lunch, and cold pasta that I could get a small handful of for the carb serving.

The other alternative for lunch had been raw veges and salmon sushi... that will still work I think!

Truthfully I am psyched to start some of the new exercises. I can feel things starting to come together really well in muscle tone, and even though they say we will "hate" plank before we are done, I've been sneaking a few reps of that in during yoga anyway.

I'm shooting for 100% diet compliance this week... let's see how we roll.

February 1, 2012 9:02 AM EST

Day 18 - Motivational Boost

I might be the last person to have figured this out, but have you guys ever gone back and looked at the before and after photos of the previous PCP participants who have finished the program?

A friend of mine who had gone through the program a little over a year ago showed me the link to his blog, and I gotta say it was fully impressive... I remember when he started the program, all he said is that he'd quit drinking for a while and was trying to get in shape. Looking at the before and after shots, I remember more clearly. His tag line from a shot at 90 days... "Bruce Lee isn't here just now, can I help you?"

I spent a few minutes looking at other past PCP'ers shots after that. Huge motivator. Kept thinking that if they can do it, so can I. Cannot wait to see my shot at 90 days too.

January 30, 2012 8:09 AM EST

Day 16 - Back in Diet Groove

As much as I whinge about it, it's easier for me to stick to the diet and stay focused when I'm on my own. Probably the only thing I'll do to deviate from the path is to drink my veges... I like carrot juice, with apple and ginger, and I have a juicer, so it's easy to drink my grams.

I've started to lose a bit of weight, but I'm not bothered so much about that at this point. The burn on the last few reps of the "leg ups" tonight was great...

January 28, 2012 5:50 AM EST

Day 14 - Finishing up the week strong

After my normal pathetic time with the rope today (steady progress...) I got in a good run by the ocean in Pokfulam and did the steps back up to Victoria Road... followed by an inspired several sets of situps and plank.

While I'm not really showing the improvements yet, I am definitely feeling them.

Really looking forward to getting back to Japan and refocusing on the diet...

January 25, 2012 9:20 AM EST

Groundhog Day

Okay... the travel day yesterday didn't go as planned, and I ended up: a) Eating an "extra" meal in the airport lounge; and b) missing my workout all together.

No excuses, that's just the way it came together, or didn't come together I guess. I would feel like a bit of a weasel if I didn't put that out there.

So today I did the day 10 workout, and stuck to the diet. Moving on.

I've also posted a better "Week 2" photo, as my partner was here to hold the camera. She also showed me how to skip rope, or rather, how good she is at skipping rope. No kidding... she goes like a fighter in training... one foot, rope to the side, whatever... rope moving like a blur. Okay, so now I have to learn.

Photos

January 23, 2012 10:09 AM EST

Day 9

Cooking is taking up more of my time than it was, mainly because now food preparation involves more than dailing up Domino's Pizza. Eating lots of raw veges... not because I want to go all Woody Harrelson or anything, but it's just easier, and besides, there is no extra water weight from steaming them.

Been eating udon as one of my carbs, and I can make a nice udon soup with boiled egg, spinach, and broccoli in the morning. Also using brown rice as a carb... went well with steak.

I will, before this thing is over, be able to skip rope. It's getting better and better, and the process of me learning seems to be keeping people in my building's little gym very entertained. But the other exercises are great... I have to get better resistance bands and a chinning bar this week, but have been using my TRX straps as well for some of the exercises in the meantime.

Did we get a ruling on almonds? I didn't see them in the notes sent so far.

January 22, 2012 6:58 AM EST

Getting there... starting to love this.

Okay, still struggling with the rope... but today I got 15 skips at a go before tripping. Thanks to Paul S. for the tip on straightening out the new plastic rope. So I'm still getting on the treadmill for 30 mins before getting to the exercises, which are really getting good.

Still keeping up the yoga too, although only twice a week. Think this is helping me keep from tightening up too much in the legs from all those squats and lunges!

And best of all the diet has started... Honestly speaking, I struggled with the "1/2 portions" thing. For "me on a diet", the more structure the better. I have a travel day, one night when I have to entertain, and a birthday celebration this week, so I'm planning ahead for those meals.

I've only lost .75kg, but I'm not bothered... because I'm starting to feel really good. Really confident in my commitment to PCP. Will try to put up a photo in the next day or two.

January 18, 2012 6:26 AM EST

Day 4

In spite of a case of food poisoning last night, I was able to get through the workout today. Making progress with the rope (thanks for the tips on that)... and the rest of the exercises are not really too tough (yet!). Like using the pushup bars and going slow on the reps, it's great discipline.

Where I'm having trouble is on the diet. In the last few years I've learned to eat pretty healthy; normally I'll have fruit in the morning, and have a decent lunch of salads, sashimi, etc. Pretty good about getting in "super foods", snacking on almonds etc. Where I blow it all up is dinner. Pizza, food of the gods. I have been pretty crap at the 1/2 portion thing so far.

Hopefully, like skipping rope, this part gets easier.

January 16, 2012 8:55 AM EST

Day 2

Okay... spoke to a good friend who had successfully completed the program over a year ago, and he encouraged me to get over myself and put up a "day one" photo. The motivation you get from looking back at it a couple weeks down the road, he says, makes it worth any minor discomfort with busting out the man boobs.

Also, I have to confess, I never learned to skip rope. Yes, incredible as it may seem, I've made it to 52 without ever having learned. But I'm trying... best I could get out in one go was 3 skips, but it's a start. I worked at it for 5 minutes or more each of the last couple of days before hitting the treadmill for 30 minutes (not dogging it mind you, I said hitting it) before doing the reps in the workout.

Does anyone have any tips on how to learn to skip rope?

January 14, 2012 6:42 PM EST

Day 0

Okay, so "Day 0"... I'm weighing in at 89kg (196 lb), and with my height that's a BMI of 25.5. My goals are pretty simple; I'd like to get down to 83.5kg (184 lb), so that I can get in shape to train for a half marathon. I also really want to tone up so that I can get more deeply into yoga, and to feel better about what I eat, and having no space between the bottom of my tie and my shirt again would be a plus!

I would definitely like PCP to be the first step toward my fitness goals
for this year. I found a great link to a motivational piece from
Harvard Business Review. Takes 5 minutes to read, if you are
interested:

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/02/nine_things_successful_people.html

No picture this week, as I look pretty much the same as the ones you see posted on the header, and there is nobody around today to hold the camera.

Good luck to everyone else diving in the program!

December 29, 2011 9:45 PM EST

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Weekly Photo

Week 10

What is the Peak Condition Project?

This is a 90 day program challenging trainees to get in the best shape of their lives. Using the simplest of materials, adherence to diet, intelligent exercise and the power of social networks, PCPers safely and sustainably make it to the highest levels of fitness.