Themeattics

And a step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction.

Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano

Intentionally late post this (last?) week as I wanted to do one that captured my full first week of going for this 4×40.

And how was that week? Well, not too shabby. I’ll be honest, it’s weird to try and adjust from short term, monthly goals to these year-long ones. Even if I am breaking them up into months, the fact they exist at all in such a long-term version pulls me a little out of whack. Still, with only a week under my belt, this is shaping up to be a great idea overall. So, by the numbers:

Forty by Forty

I’d fallen so far off the wagon in terms of food and food discipline, this was the primary focus of the week. I ended up pushing myself to only have actual food at dinner every day for a full week and a shake or two earlier in the day when I got a little too hungry. And, clocking in this morning, that (plus some other things down the list) had me drop 9lbs in a week. My kind of start.

I’m actually surprised how well it worked. Not on the loss part, necessarily, but on how workable that ended up being. I don’t plan to keep it up in its entirety, but I will probably try to do that a couple days a week, at least.

On top of that, I’m doing 2-a-days. Easy ones as the moment as I’m trying to get my bearings, but being active more than once a day is key.

• 9/40 pounds lost (22.5% to target)

Fit by Forty

Of all of the plans, this one is probably the most still in flux as to what the actual goals and smaller targets are. I want to hit specific muscle group benchmarks, but some specifics are going to turn out to either be a lot harder than I expected or are so knowingly difficult they could probably replace other things.

For example, I’m trying to work up to the 40lb, 10 rep, 3 set curl block. To do this, I was starting with lower weight and lower reps and moving up, but having something like 20x20x3 be before my 3x10x3 turned out to be a terrible idea. 20 reps is, ah… a lot. Particularly when you’re only allowing a 1m break between sets.

Another example is The Crucible. My goal is to actually complete that, but doing so consists of doing 100 reps in a single set of each of the following, with maybe a minute break between them:

• Slider burpees
• Dumbbell jump lunges
• Dip Arnold press
• Jump goblet squats
• Alt. floor press
• Diamond push ups
• Dumbbell plank side raise
• Sprinter hop (technically you do this twice, one set of X per side)

This thing is an absolute MONSTER, and could easily fill up a lot of the space I have set aside for other things. But, it’s me, and even though this is clearly the hardest thing on my list, using it as the majority would be boring. So, instead, I’m targeting things for specific major muscle groups on both power and endurance as lead ups to The Crucible. And, as mentioned above, I’ll be expanding my 2-a-days to speed up progress.

• 5 Mile Run (Can only manage a 1/2 mile now. 10% to target)
• 7:30 Mile (Currently at an 11:15 mile)
• 100 Consecutive Push Ups (Initial attempt put me at 45. 45% to target – woo, easy math)
• 40 Consecutive Pull Ups (Currently at 10. 25% to target)
• 40x10x3 Curls (Can’t do the 20x20x3, but can do the 30x10x3. I’ll keep working on both next steps)
• 180x10x3 Squats (90s are the heaviest sets of weights I have to do this with. Initial test was at 140)
• The Challenge (Haven’t done this yet, plan to do it over the weekend. It’s a push/pull gauntlet)
• The Crucible (Completed at 10 reps each. 10% to target by number, but maybe 1% by actual effort)

Finished by Forty

My focus on food and forming an exercise plan over everything else (and some… poorly timed game releases) led me to having a poor sleep schedule, and if I’ve learned one thing from all this, bad sleep = bad mornings of writing attempts. So, sleep is back up to the top of the menu. I’m behind schedule here, but only a couple of days. Easy to catch up if I’m taking care of myself. 15 is still in the works, but it’s nearing the end.

Faithful by Forty

Picking off the low-hanging fruit in this one by catching up on my dailies so that I’m where I should be on the Catechism and my devotional. Both are fantastic, so that’s been a pleasure. Also, I’m writing this after getting back from my first Holy Day of Obligation mass of the year, so that’s good to not drop the ball right away. I’ll be

• Listen to the Catechism in a Year by Fr. Mike Schmitz. (Currently caught up)
• Become a lector at the church. (Not yet started to pursue)
• Learn the Rosary in Latin. (Going to start listening to this every day starting tonight during my walk. I’m a little ahead of the curve since I know the Sign of the Cross, Hail Mary, and Glory Be already)
• Complete a yearly devotional. (Currently caught up)
• Never miss a Holy Day of Obligation. (Currently caught up)

I won’t be talking about this every week, but I’ll probably touch back on it at important (or thematic) intervals. All I can say is – week 1 has been stellar. Ready to keep rolling.