Bacon Update!
Added 2019-02-01 16:25:51 +0000 UTCUnderworld - Sanctuary is going to be published on Amazon on Feb 11th!
Now, that might still seem a ways off, but if you are in the Warrior Tier or higher, you will probably get your download link around mid next week!
The reason for the delay is because of the other books being published at the moment. There are a lot of big names, including James Hunter, Daniel Schinhofen and Cosimo Yap publishing right now. Viridian Gate Online book 6 is live if you didn't see it, btw! Daniel's might be dropping his today! Cosimo is going to be dropping on the 8th most likely. I recommend anything by all three of these guys. I think Harmon Cooper is publishing later in the month and Travis Bagwell might at the end of it. Its a huge month for releases in other words. :) I'm probably missing some peeps as well.
Cover Art
This is another reason for the delay. It's been taking longer than normal to get the cover art back. I'm afraid there will be no revisions this time around because of the timetable, so when I do the reveal next week, I'll still want your feedback, but we won't have time to change anything. This is definitely not the way that I want it to go down, so I'm going to get the next Codename and Underworld covers going in a few weeks, long before they will be published.
Codename: Freedom
The chapters will start very soon. Hopefully, early next week. I'm listening to book 1 and 2 while I edit Underworld, but I might have to delay it a little bit because its messing with any revisions I have to do to Sanctuary. lol.
I'll probably start posting some workout theory videos as I'm writing CF book 3. Working out harder and getting back into the bodybuilding and athletic worlds is part of my ritual while writing it.
Paperbacks and T-shirts
I know it seems like these keep getting put off, but the paperbacks are already in the works, just waiting on my cover artist. Some basic t-shirts I hope to have available within a week after Underworld Book 3 is published. I'm going to be designing them myself, so I'll be reaching out to you guys for your opinion soon. Keep an eye out.
Working Out
For those interested.
I've been doing my own version of volume training recently which I'm having great results with. It mixes volume training, which is basically trying to move as much overall weight over a period of time as possible, as opposed to heavier weights all at once, and light weight daily training.
What this looks like is that I do a full body workout about 4 days a week and 2 additional days of more intense training. Normally, I do two days back to back of light weight reps with little rest between sets, and by little I mean 10-20 seconds, plus cardio at the end of the workout. The cardio has been on the bike because its has little impact on my joints. This is important because I have osteoarthritis in my right knee from an injury. I still get heavy impact training from squats and jump squats. Limiting it allows me to train more often. I try to keep my heart rate at 140 bpm over the 45 minutes to 1 hour work out.
Then, after the two light weight days, I have a day where I focus on exhausting either my upper body or lower body. The weight is usually heavier on this day and I let myself rest a little more. It's still very fast paced. We are talking about 30 seconds between sets and I'll usually do some easy going boxer dancing between sets. I still keep my heart rate up. Usually, my only day off is Sunday, which is always busy with the family.
The benefit to this is that I've been able to keep my back pain free from all the sitting while writing and my energy level is through the roof. It's also nice feeling athletic again and not just like a semi-chubby dude with swore swollen muscles all the time. One of the keys to my current training regimen is only training enough so that I don't feel swore the next day. Lower weight and higher reps help with that, as does keeping my heart rate up. With a higher heart rate you will not be able to do as much work as you would if you were fully rested. This actually helps keep me from injury believe it or not.
I anticipate that anyone interested might question whether I'm having any muscle growth doing this training. The answer is yes and no. There are certain muscle groups, which might vary per individual, that seem to benefit more from low weight and high reps than the common 8-12 rep range model. In my case, my neck, shoulders, triceps and calves always seem to do better with this type of training. I've been surprised to see increase in my quads as well, which is odd for me. The reason this is odd is that my quads, the muscles on the front side of the thighs, normally do better under high weigh low reps. Meaning, I get better results moving weight like 80% of my max for 2-3 reps for a bunch of sets, instead doing 4-6 or even 8-12 rep sets. That isn't really abnormal for a lot of people that lift. One of the reasons I think my quads are doing so well, is because I haven't had the ability to lift heavy for quite some time. What I'm doing is just holding a 50-75 pound dumbbell and doing slow reps of 10-15 squats and jump squats, weighted and unweighted. This combined with low weight dumbbell deadlifts, 50s-75s for 10 rep sets, and doing it almost everyday, is giving me a lot of functional strength.
That's all for now!
Cheers!
Comments
Sure thing Scott. 1) Focus on getting stronger, not losing weight. If health is your biggest concern, remaining the same weight but replacing fat with muscle will make you much healthier. Even without changing your diet, adding exercise will have a big benefit. The scale also can mess with a person's motivation. It's not a very good indicator of how well you're doing. 2) Following a plan vs other... With working out, there is no one perfect plan. Switching things up and doing something that goes against the popular theory of the day can often have big benefits because your body gets used to what you're doing. With that said, if you're not really sure where to start, finding a basic plan so you have a template is a good thing. Also, what equipment options do you have? Do you have a gym membership? Or just your living room? You can get in shape either way. If you are picking a plan, you want to make sure you are picking one that you can actually do. 3) Get to know your body. This is one of the most amazing things about working out. Think of it like you have an avatar. You're just the player in your bodies head. In time, you can do all kind of cool things with your body that may be impossible now, and even those that are in shape couldn't pull off. Example: There are some crazy gymnast push ups that just look awesome. You are capable of stuff like that, but you have to work for it. 4) Set your goals. Set long term and short term. Your first goal should be to start something. From there, set your next level goal. Ten push ups, twenty? It could also be something like regaining full function. I have osteoarthritis in my knee from a sports injury. Years ago I couldn't do a full squat without my knee swelling the next day, if I could even manage it. It took me about a month or two,but I was able to regain full function. Long term, you might want to run a 5k, bench 300 lbs, do 50 push ups, etc. As you get to know your body you will find you can level up in different exercises and movements. Like your bench press might stall, but your deadlifts are leveling up. 4) Choose your approach. There are two main philosophies you'll run across for working out. The first, is to lift, or work, with the goal of exhausting the muscle. At the end you will feel a pump in the muscles as the blood fills it. This is the general idea behind modern body building and volume training. The second, is to work the muscle with the goal of working it, but to restrain from going to the point of exhaustion. Even doing the same exercise routine, you would do less weight with higher reps. (Note: you can still do lower weight with high reps to exhaust your muscles. That is not the goal.) The thinking behind this is that if you don't exhaust the muscle, you will not be as sore, your body will recover sooner, and you can work out more often. As an example, if you do heavy squats to exhaustion, the average person would have to rest 3-6 days before the soreness was gone and they could work their legs again. What if you only had to rest 1-2 days? You could do the exercise more often and you would get better at it. Also, since you're not sore, you will enjoy it more and possibly stick with it longer. The downside is that you will have to work out more often. The good news is that both approaches work. You can also mix and match them. If you have the time, I'd recommend the second approach for beginners because you can focus on learning your body and have fun with it. It is also less likely that you will get injured. The first approach is the most common today though, and you won't regret it if you stick to it. Most plans you find will take the first approach. Don't be afraid to try thing and see how your body responds. With all that said, what experience do you have with working out or sports? Will you have access to a gym?
Apollos Thorne
2019-02-02 12:37:38 +0000 UTCGot any recommendations for an overweight 40yo wanting to start exercising but is confused by all the differing "plans and schemes"
Scott Marshall
2019-02-02 03:51:06 +0000 UTCBtw, I just got the covers back with the wrap arounds, so they maybe finished sooner than I thought. :D
Apollos Thorne
2019-02-01 16:42:09 +0000 UTC
