Northcutt Training & Nutrition

Finished last night's workout at 9:00. Ate and went to bed. At 2am the phone rang of an on duty time of 4AM. The internal negotiation began - do I walk, or do it later? I mean, I just finished a workout 5 hours earlier. That negotiation was being brought on by "entitlement". "I'm tired", "I deserve a break", all telltale signs my mind still seeks comfort, while another part of me seeks the uncomfortableness of a mentally disciplined lifestyle. The argument was short. Shoes on starting walking, a few minutes later I felt like a new person, beautiful night.
Put yourself through some pain, you'll be glad you did.

Day 114. 228 45 minute walks, walk/runs, and workouts. So far an estimate is 153 miles walked for the month.

After a long frustrating train last night to Sweetwater, I laced up my shoes at 2am and put in my walk, then finished my reading. Woke up and started my next 4 plus mile walk at 8:12, then did my workout a little over 3 hours later... this was emotionally a borderline deal breaker. But I wouldn't tap out.
... why?...

I committed to it.

I'm choosing to keep my word on what I intended. Yes, sometimes it is overwhelming, but I'm still here.

Not one person I know wants to actually be unhealthy; everyone wants to be fitter so they say.
In the last 100 days I've entertained conversations on diets of every kind, different workouts, all sorts of oughta's, and I even have the knowledge and certifications to help. But what I can't teach is grit. I can display it, but grit, willpower, an intentional death to excuses comes from inside.
There is no shortcut or hack, guys. You don't have to do THIS program, but do something that improves you!
And you gotta cut up your get out of jail free cards. "I'm tired, cold, hot, it's windy, (it doesn't look like the garden of Eden), I want comfort."

I've also been told I "need to look happier" so people would be more inclined to...(whatever they are gonna do anyway)..
"Happy" distractions are killing this country.
We've become fragile, weak, thin skinned.

You actually need to desire hard things. True growth comes from struggle, not quitting and complaining.
As my tattoo says - get busy living, or get busy dying.

Sometimes you need to quietly grind. Not that I post much, but I put 75 days in. 8 pounds down, a few hundred miles walked, actually almost 115 miles so far for December. Read 3 books, drank lots of water. A total of 150 workout sessions (walking included).
The main drive? Just being accountable to the person in the mirror.
Set a goal, any goal and do not allow yourself any excuses.
Love ya'll.

Most times you simply need a why, a goal with a date at the end of it.
I've considered this program for quite some time before I decided to do it.
It will most certainly take some planning.
I've already done one workout while teaching homeschool, and one while cooking dinner.
It breaks up the monotony! Going from all out sets to a 45 minute programming is a change, but probably good for my joints. Anyway, I have some "insulation" I need to get rid of.

I guarantee you in America there is plenty of TV time and social media time to do this.
It simply a decision away.
Change your mind, change your trajectory.

Switching your mind from one modality to another, ALWAYS brings some form of uncertainty. This particular circuit was intended on 100 pushups and the dumbbell squat thrusts, with the intention of the last round being as close to a 10 rep failure on the weighted movements, and it did not disappoint. 30 second rest between movements and one minute rest between sets doubled. The pain... let's just say severe. Quitting actually became an option (but I didn't).
But that's what I crave.

As far as getting fit and healthy, the main ingredient is a solemn commitment. You don't need super heavy or complex equipment; unless you are specifically targeting a particular sport/arena. Nothing here is sexy, and I know women who use the treadmill exclusively because walking by themselves could pose a hazard or danger.

Quit trying to find the problem or exception to every solution. You're the solution.

After 8 years of paying for gym memberships (with the exception of the viral batitis era) I stepped away.
I've scrounged, bought, been given enough equipment to finish my life out if I so choose to. So before our school time, I put Sam through the paces with me.
Remember, every body of any medical science recommends at least 30 minutes a day of exercise, or walking, or SOMETHING every day, no exceptions (if you are physically able).
Our society has become so soft and lazy, there are now alternative "movements" to villianize exercise - calling it extremism producing "body shaming". Pitiful.
You can choose to do your best and live and be healthy,,,, or not. It's a freaking choice.
Is it all about "fitness"? No, but I assure you millions that are suffering really wished they had taken better care of themselves, as they spent corporately billions at the doctor's office.

Get after it.

After taking a couple of weeks off, thinking on this "strength" vs more of a circuit style, higher intensity fitness workout, and to find my "niche" and to actually incorporate my nutrition coaching here, I think I may have found a landing spot. Much of this is directly related to scheduling, but also a redirect back to healthy fitness.
I desire to bring a voice to nutrition - but that is an uphill battle, as media is loaded with extreme diets, iffy supplements stealing billions out of people's pockets with ZERO efficacy. (FYI, there are ONLY three chemicals that have scientifically validated effects for gym people - protein powder, creatine, and caffeine... nothing else).
Instagram, Tiktok, and video shorts show countless guys and gals on "hormone enhancement" touting their diet or plan or some company sponsored products to their success (cut the genetic or work ethic BS, I've been on "them" and it's a day and night difference).
Fitness is a journey, and it takes consistency, nutrition, and movement.
Basics is where the foundation is.
Build that and you health will happen.

After talking to someone about walking to Walmart and picking up a couple of things (the haul in the last picture), I "felt" to put on Tom Sawyer from Rush. So when I put it on, it was like a complete personality mindset switch.
And when I got back, I crafted a circuit workout to pyramid to absolute failure, followed by a drop set to failure.... and I wasn't actually planning on a very serious workout.
But that Jekyll and Hyde switch - a switch to that indomitable mindset is needed to grow or improve in any area of your life.
I think many times we over sensitize and analyze when we need to simply find that undefeatable killer mindset.
Set a goal and, make that thing happen.
Burn those boats of insecurity to the ground.
Complacency is THE ENEMY - burn it to the ground.
Thank me later.

After finishing up my 3rd Nutrition coaching certification, then trying to finish up another huge project, I took some time off from working out. And for the first time since 2013, I noticed something - I was stepping into fear. I got scared. (No, I'm not looking for encouragement, I'm speaking to people that this might ring clearly to).
I felt like playing it safe, whatever that looked like.
Playing it safe is a fool's game, a mere deceptive rationalization to stay stagnant.

So I wrestled with my emotions this morning,,, conserve energy by do-nothing-ism (I am now "57", another mediocre excuse) or go for a run. So I thoughtlessly put on my shoes and went for a 2 mile jog on the beach, and then the ocean spoke to me, "take the risk, quit playing it safe."

How many of us play it safe with.... everything?
We were designed to overcome, therefore we must overcome something.
The first things to overcome is our minds and emotions.
Until those 2 are overcome, nothing else works.

If one thinks this is just about exercise and health, you are sadly mistaken. This about overcoming - stepping into who God called you to be.

After my 3rd certification I have finally realized the hard truth - unless someone has a true change of heart, and commit to changing their activity levels, the endless arguments on proper nutrition will add up to nothing but more failures.

Metanoia - to have a true change of mind, a complete change of heart. Another words- repentance.

The ocean told me - "make a decision".
Listen to the ocean.
Love ya'll.

After taking a hiatus in the hotels to finish up another nutrition coaching program, I finally got back into the gym with a simple but effective program. A circuit that took 17 minutes, one set followed by 30 seconds or to the top of the clock for 3 rounds.
Then walked 2 miles at 4 mph - incline 2% in 30 minutes.
Do the exercises first to make sure you have the glycogen to workout, then the walk to start any fat burning.
It's amazing how being sedentary at the hotel has affected my cardio performance.
No excuses.
Time to set your health goals.
Tomorrow is too late, because tomorrow seems never to arrive if you continue to say "tomorrow".

For the first time in years my legs feel like "my legs". It's called muscle memory and sweat.
The whole was so taxing, I almost passed out after the straight legged deadlifts. If you want to change ANYTHING, you're going to have to go further than you've been before.
Challenge yourself. Push the envelope, where the danger lies, and embrace it.

After a debilitating injury several years ago, followed by "the viris" I finally put my Vans and my squat shoes back on. In the middle of February, I made the move to Crunch, as my legs have suffered due to the lack of squats and having to work around the injury - I lost just shy of 2 inches (circumference) of muscle on my quads, plus all the miles I ran didn't help one bit.

22 days later my squat is 185 lbs × 20 × 2.
My legs respond very well to high volume sets, there's nothing like them. I'll work up to a single set of 20, then modify the process.

Plus, I am also completing my 3rd Nutrition certification, two of them specifically for Nutrition coaching.
Never quit pushing, never quit growing...