What do you do when you need to lose 25 lbs. and reinstate your cardiovascular fitness before a possible astronaut interview, and do it all in 3 months?  I can't speak for everyone, but I know what I'm doing - I'm calling on the TRX and the crew at Fitness Anywhere to help.

Here's the deal: I'm a Canadian who moved to the U.S. in 1996, intent on applying to the NASA astronaut program.  For most of my life I've been pretty fit, swimming competitively during grade school, playing football through high school, and rowing through college and then afterwards with the Canadian Lightweight Rowing Development Team during the mid-90's.  After working in the U.S. for 5 years (and earning a green card in the process), I went back to school to earn MS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Aeronautics/Astronautics, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, all from Stanford University.  I became a US citizen in 2006, and this year I am eligible - for the first time! - to apply to the NASA astronaut selection.  Trouble is, the last few years of the Ph.D. program were tough, and through damn good eating and a lot of new sedentary habits, I got a bit plump...which is frowned upon in the astronaut office.

Enter Fitness Anywhere and the TRX.  I met with Randy Hetrick and Chris Frankel, who agreed to help me to get back into shape for the astronaut selection process.  I suggested doing a blog to document the process, and so here we are.  Over the next few months, this blog will document my progress in terms of my health and fitness goals.  I will also blog my experience with the astronaut selection process (should I have any).  Here is my starting point:

1) Weight today is 208 lbs; goal is 190 lbs. by November 1, 2008.  Kinda like 'Super Size Me' in reverse.

2) My cardio fitness is poor, but I have yet to measure it.  The measure will probably be in terms of 5- and 10-km run times.

3) I have applied to the astronaut program, and I have a one-on-one meeting set up with the head of the NASA astronaut selection office for August 19th at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.  The meeting was set up by an astronaut acquaintance of mine, who has flown 4 space shuttle missions (connections are a good thing).

I want to emphasize the fact that I have no idea whether or not I will get an astronaut interview, even - let alone the job.  In that sense, this blog is a thrill to me - whether I succeed in this training program that Fitness Anywhere has so generously supported is completely up to me and my ability to stay focused and disciplined.  And whether I succeed in the astronaut selection process depends on a lot more than that - when 3000-4000 people apply for 20 or so positions, as is the case with the astronaut program, a lot needs to be going your way for you to get the gig. 
 

July 30th, 2008:  Chris Frankel took me through the specific exercises of the All Body Xpress (ABX) routine, plus a few additional movements. 

July 31st, 2008:  My gluts are sore from Chris' intro sesson on the 30th, and I'm not sure I did even 1/4 of the reps required of the ABX advanced routine.  Today, my wife Kat took a series of 'before' photos, but my ego can't cope with posting them until I have sufficiently good 'after' photos.

Later, July 31st, 2008:  Today I set up my brand new TRX, and completed my first All Body Xpress workout using the handy ABX DVD.  I tried to do the advanced (60 sec. on, 20 sec. off) workout, but didn't get it all done since transitions between exercises are sometimes taking me longer than 20 seconds.  Reasons include: 1) I'm still slow to adjust strap lengths; 2) I didn't plan very well for how much space I'd need, and so kept having to adjust my position to avoid nearby obstacles (couches, bookshelves) during some movements, and 3) The door I'm using as an anchor point is situated such that I have to look over my shoulder to watch the DVD, for most moves.  One additional comment; the very last exercise in the ABX - the suspended crunch - was a total core ripper.  It took me 30 extra seconds just to get into position to start the suspended crunch, due to my total lack of coordination getting into the straps.  But once I was in, I set my watch to be sure I got the full 60 seconds of pain and benefit. 

The All Body Xpress workout takes just under 20 minutes total time to complete.  By the end of this workout, I was standing in a small puddle of sweat, thinking about how I should mop up quick before my wife gets home.  Now that's the right way to start a fitness program. 

 

Right on man, sounds like you are off to a good start.  The ABX is a great place to begin.  Once you get comfortable with the exercises there, start branching out into some of the more complex movements, or putting together good "metabolic" workouts.  You'll find examples of both on the forum, but since it looks like Chris is working with you, I'm sure he'll be able to steer you in the right direction.  I'm not sure what resources you have available to you for the runs, but IMO hill workouts and sprint intervals are essential to improving your distance runs and shedding excess weight.  The Force Training Kit outlines a great hill program, but the basic gist of it is to work interval hill training days (i.e. 5 min hills, 5 min reduced intensity) followed by longer, low or medium intensity runs.  In my experience, sprint intervals dropped my time faster than anything.  My favorite programs are 30/60s (30 seconds of all out sprinting followed by 60 seconds of walking) working up to 60/120s.  On my long run days I would run hard (80%) for the first 10 seconds of every minute.  Not only did this help break up the monotony of the run (I've never really enjoyed distance running per se), I found that after a while I was settling into a faster pace for the "slow" 50 seconds of the minute than I would have been running if I just picked a consistent pace for the whole run.  I think it had something to do with just training my body to run at a faster pace than I was used to, but was clearly capable of handling. 

Anyway, good luck with everything, I look forward to hearing how the progress goes!

fthomson:

One additional comment; the very last exercise in the ABX - the suspended crunch - was a total core ripper.  It took me 30 extra seconds just to get into position to start the suspended crunch, due to my total lack of coordination getting into the straps.  But once I was in, I set my watch to be sure I got the full 60 seconds of pain and benefit. 

fthomson:

The All Boxy Xpress workout takes just under 20 minutes total time to complete.  By the end of this workout, I was standing in a small puddle of sweat, thinking about how I should mop up quick before my wife gets home.  Now that's the right way to start a fitness program.  

That's the way it should be! Shows you really pushed yourself near to your limit. Good job.

Monday August 4, 2008:


After about a week of doing the TRX All Body Xpress workout, I transitioned today to the TRX Force Training Program (FTP).  For those unfamiliar, this is a 12-week composite program that fuses a cardiovascular conditioning sequence---in the form of hill runs, anaerobic threshold runs, and light distance runs ---with a TRX strength program.

So far, training with the TRX has been very enjoyable.  My body seems to be responding quickly to the work, which is a bit surprising, and definitely very satisfying.  It's also been satisfying to find that my sadistic side---the side that used to impel me to train hard when I used to row---is still alive and well, resulting in a series of post-workout highs over the past week.

And as of today, my sadistic side has a new best friend: the TRX Side Plank with Taps.

I ran across this beast as I was working diligently through the first workout of Week One of the FTP, figuring out the movements on the fly during my 60-second rests.  I started the Side Plank with a straight-arm hand support---that was what was pictured in the manual, and I missed the small print telling me to use an elbow support as a beginner.  I knew something was wrong when I started swinging around like a crazed chimp as I tried to complete the motion.  Being completely unable to control the movement, I looked at the manual again (I mean, I MUST have missed something), read the part about starting out with an elbow support, then corrected my stance.  Even then, I was barely able to complete the 20 total reps, my sadistic side laughing all the while.


As far as I can tell, I have somehow managed to live my entire life without using any of the muscles required to perform the Side Plank with Taps, and it completely schooled me.  But that's also why is is such a golden exercise, because it's almost certainly going to be the one where I get to see the most improvement.  And that is a recipe for satisfaction.  

fthomson:

As far as I can tell, I have somehow managed to live my entire life without using any of the muscles required to perform the Side Plank with Taps, and it completely schooled me.  But that's also why is is such a golden exercise, because it's almost certainly going to be the one where I get to see the most improvement.  And that is a recipe for satisfaction. 

No kidding!  The side planks are tough to get used to.  As a soccer player I figured I would have a good core and have to really work to feel it.  Wroooooong.  Those will humble most, I think.  Add in the taps and then graduate to the hand support, and there you have weeks of fun.  :-)

p.s. core strength is the key to even medium distance running.  Ever see those people running who look like an upright snake?  No core strength = slow!

Keep it up, man!

Back to the TRX blog after a 2-week hiatus.  I'm SO stoked to get back with my TRX tomorrow, after two weeks of travel.  My wife Kat and I were kayaking with Orcas in the Johnstone Strait (BC, Canada) for a week, then I went to Houston for a week.  In Houston, I met with the head of the astronaut selection committee, which was a big stoke and (I believe) a step towards securing an interview for the program.  I also met with an astronaut acquaintance of mine, who agreed to serve as a reference for me.  More stoke!

November is coming up fast, though, and I'm pretty eager to keep moving forward with TRX training.  I'm jumping back in at week two of the Force Training Program.  This next month is very key, as it sets the tone for the final month (October) push towards my weight and fitness goals.  Weight is at 204.5 lbs, which means I need to work harder.  I benchmarked my 10-km run time today, running 48:20 -  about 10 minutes slower than my best time.  Weight goal for Oct. 1st is 195lbs., 10-km run time 45 minutes.
 

How's your diet?

I ask because you were out kayaking for a week, then you were in Houston for a week where you could have been using your TRX and seem to have only lost 3 1/2 lbs. Nutrition could be a key factor here.

Keep working hard. 

You're absolutely right on both counts - the diet needs work (even still), and I was kicking myself after for not taking the TRX along on both trips.  I mean, it's fitness anywhere, after all...

Thanks for the post!

fT 

 Saturday, September 6, 2008

Can I just say for a moment how much I love the side plank with taps?  No, I'm really serious.  I mean, I've probably not sworn out loud as much during any other exercise I've done in the past 10 years, but therein lies the beauty.  There's always somewhere else to go with this awesome exercise!  I'm at the end of week 3 of the force training program now, and that calls for 2x8 side planks per side, supported by the elbow.  So I decide, being fairly comfortable with the elbow version, to do my second set on a hand support instead...and immediately I realize that this exercise has so much more to show me.  I make it through, but not without a lot of C.O.D. special delivery humility, and a whole lot of excessive movement.

But boy am I happy about this exercise!  I know, with a happy warm feeling in my heart (and muscles) that wherever I take the side plank with taps, it will always be a few steps ahead.

   

You took a double step up. You really have to practise the side planks on hand without taps before taking on on hand with taps. I did the same thing as you. I think i just rolled over and landed on my back.