GeekFit PodcastPodcast hosts: Jason Tucker and Steven Klassen discuss healthy weight loss for geeks.
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Talking to Myself
Mar 10th
This morning I wrote about an experience I had over at my personal blog, Steven Klassen dot Com. Most times it’s all about perspective and how you communicate with yourself.
Give it a read:
http://www.stevenklassen.com/2010/03/10/going-up/
Row Row Row
Feb 11th
Cory’s been keeping an eye on me in the gym after watching me butcher front squats. I was off yesterday, but today I went the second half of my A/B workout from The New Rules of Lifting For Men.
It turns out that what I thought were bent-over barbell rows were more like almost-passable upright rows. He demonstrated the exercise and then nudged and pushed me into the right position while I did a couple reps. The minute he let go I almost fell over. It’s hard to hold yourself in that position! Needless to say I had to come down in the weight (again) but I could feel it in all the right places.
Alwyn Cosgrove’s workouts (from New Rules of Lifting for Men) include periodic cycles: 3 weeks on the weights, 1 week off. I think it would be worthwhile to get some training at the outset of each 3-week run of weight training. I don’t feel bad about 3 weeks worth of upright rows, but it would have been nice if I hadn’t done double-duty on my shoulders.
Now, should I go through my Fitbook and cross out bent-over row and scribble upright row over the top? 
You’re Doing It Wrong
Feb 9th
We talked about it in episode 40 a little bit, but I started at Accel Human Performance a couple weeks ago (turn down your speakers before you click). Tommy and I hit the gym and after some kettlebell swings to warm up I hit the power cage to do some front squats.
Let’s back up a little. What the heck are front squats? Well, they’re not what I was doing. Instead of having the bar on the top of my chest I was kind of cradling it in the crux of my arms. That worked, sort of. When I did it today Cory Gilday, co-owner and exercise physiologist, swooped in and offered some tips. He corrected my form, but I had to come down a bit in the weight. The exercise felt much better with the right form (more quads and a lot less back), but whew I’m going to have a pair of bruises on my upper arms I’m naming Cory and Gilday.
So far we’re enjoying the new venue. The staff is supportive and the they keep the place nice and clean. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a misplaced weight or anything else out of sorts.
If you mention GeekFit when you sign up, you’ll get all the water you can drink. Y’know, from the water fountain. It was funnier in my head.
What’s The Secret?
Feb 2nd
I got a Facebook comment on a recent Body Bugg update (3944 calories burned, 2958 calories consumed, and a 986 deficit). The question: “How do you burn so many calories, must have the secret…”
This was my response (written first thing in the morning, so bear with me):
I wish I could say it’s all muscle, but that only accounts for maybe an extra quarter calorie per minute (225 calories over 15 hours)**. I burn ~2750 calories a day at an idle, so that extra 500-1000 comes from deliberate daily exercise. 30m on the treadmill, a couple 15 minute brisk walks, etc. The 4500 calorie days are a Zumba class or a combination of weights and some intervals.
I’ve had a couple surplus days though – no exercise and usual intake. That’s good food, too. After tracking with a Body Bugg like this it’s really easy to see how tossing a Double Bacon Western Cheeseburger in the mix (or something similar) would EASILY pack on the pounds.
So, why 3000 calories at an idle instead of 2000 (USDA break-even calorie number)**? I’m carrying 100 lbs of extra ballast. I’m used to carrying it, so it’s like a workout you do for too long and plateau.
If I had to guess I’d say 2000 is a average, 2500 (extra 500 for the muscle composition), and then an extra 250 for carrying the extra weight brings us to 2750.
So the secret is to either be 100 lbs overweight (I really don’t recommend this one!) and/or lift weights to get the added benefit of the extra burn.
** This is a complete WAG (wild @$$ guess) based on what I’ve been heard from other bodybugg users who average 1-1.5 calories/min at an idle.
GeekFit Podcast #40 [Audio] – (360) 450-5026
Feb 1st
Weigh In
- Steve’s Progress this Month – 360
| Date | Weight | Neck | Chest | Up. Arm | F. Arm | Waist | Hip | Thigh | Calf |
| 1/1/2010 | 364 | 19.75″ | 57″ | 21″ | 13″ | 60″ | 57.5″ | 32″ | 20″ |
| 1/24/2010 | 360 | 19″ | 56.25″ | 20″ | 14″ | 57.75″ | 56.75″ | 33.5″ | 20″ |
| Difference |
-4 pounds | -0.75″ | -0.75″ | -1″ | +1″ | -2.25″ | -0.75″ | +1.5″ | No Change |
- Jason’s Progress this Month – 229 lbs
Content!
- Steve:
- 100 books in 2010: 5 so far, plan on catching up on the road.
- Upcoming travel for Steven: Austin, Virginia (Kris!!), and St. Paul, MN.
- Meetup dot com @ Sci-Fi Group: read The Time Machine, and Perdido Street Station.
- Jason:
- Birthday party, went ice skating
- Rollerblading at the park with my daughter while she was learning to ride her bike.
- Step Aerobics – Nancy
- Zumba (www.zumba.com) [d]
Zumba: Jennifer S., Shawna, Rachelle, Ginger G., Tiffany
Using a mic? Visual cues? Type of music? 16 count or more freestyle?
- Zumba (www.zumba.com) [d]
- Accel Human Performance [d]
Uses the TRX for group classes, machines, free weights, and kettlebells.Books read? - LibraryThing dot Com
- Enter The Kettlebell! Strength Secret of The Soviet Supermen [d]
As you go through the book learning Swings, Get-Ups, the Clean, the Press, and the Snatch, he takes you through intermediate steps to master the entire movement. It would be like learning how to drive a car by first practicing getting in and out of the driver’s seat. Once you have that down, you move on to the over-the-shoulder reach to retrieve your seat belt to put it on. Then the key-into-the-ignition maneuver. - The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle [d]
6 movements: Squat, Dead lift, Lunge, Push, Pull, Twist, and Combo Moves (the 8th movement)
Promo – The GeekCast
@GeekFit Twitter bot
Product reviews
- Walkmeter App – Steve & Jason – [d]
The KML links for your walk are very cool and are mapped over Google Maps. Each walk can be associated with a route, or not; there’s an ‘All Walks’ bucket that unmatched routes will go into. If you walk the same route multiple times, associating them with a route gives you best and worst times for your walk. You have the ability to start a walk, stop it for a time (going in to buy something, for example) and then start again. The walk doesn’t conclude until you hit ‘Done’ when it’s uploaded and a message sent to Twitter. We both liked this app.
- EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale w/ Extra Large Backlit 3.5″ Display and Oversize Platform – Steve [d]
Easy to read display, gives you your weight in 10ths of a pound. Wide enough to get both feet on easily. 330lb limit, so I made my sister Amanda play guinea pig.
Your Mission
This weeks mission, leave us an iTunes review and tell someone about us, we tell people about you all the time!
http://www.itunes.com/podcast/geekfitpodcast [Link loads in iTunes]
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/geekfit
http://twitter.com/jasontucker
http://twitter.com/mrxinu – Be sure to message Steve when you add him
Disclosure What the heck is this [d] thing? We’ll be using this mark to indicate our full disclosure with the product we review. Click the link and its shows our disclosure. Its it overkill? Sure but we don’t wanna get sued.
Beginning 12/1/2009 bloggers, advertisers and their agencies need to disclose when they have marketing arrangements or other material connections. Review copies, samples, paid posts, affiliate links and paid posts are the most common examples. If you are reviewing or endorsing products and you are being given products or compensation relating to those posts, you must disclose those relationships. [read more]
