OWE ENDSTATE: 2014 Fitness Test Results

Last Thursday I had my Physical Fitness Assessment. At the end of the day I can say that I didn't fail it this year. 

Goal tracking sheet

I didn't end up making the 1.5 mile run time of under 12:30 or a the overall score of 82.3 that I mentioned at the outset but, I didn't fail it this time around. All and all, I can't complain for what I was able to pull off in 5 weeks. 

A few thing's I'd like to do differently next time;

• Start prepping for the test 8 weeks out
• Run twice a week instead of 3x's a week
• Limit lower body workouts

Currently my knees are trashed, I've been taking 'ghost steps' and hitching around since the test. I probably shouldn't have been hitting moderate weight Squats and Deads throughout PT Test Prep but TX's Strongest Man is scheduled for April 12, 2014 in San Antonio and I'm ok with my score of just under 80. 

It ain't all bad though... I did see a drastic reduction in my overall bodyfat percentage.

There's a mistake on the top card and the numbers should read like this:

17JAN14: 261.46@24.2% 198.16FFM/63.3FM

18FEB14: 254.74@19.5% 205.09FFM/49.65FM

I wasn't able to get in the BodPod the day of or after the test. I did transition back to the Holy Grail Diet the afternoon after the test but past experience tells me that the increase in Fat Free Mass most likely came from a two day intense re-feed.

I am walking away from the PT test without having met my goals, a little weaker then when I started and with a knee that will probably need a few weeks of rest before I start training he at again. But, at least I'm a little lighter and have a significantly lower bodyfat percentage than I did at the outset. That's all the time that I'm devoting to it this year. 

Next up: Texas's Strongest Man is 8 weeks out. It's time to get back in the gym, the under the bar and start to respect myself again.
-Airpower~!!

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OWE WOREPS W4: D22-D35

I got a little busy during the past two weeks and then I really screwed my knees up at the track. I'm currently 2 days out from the test...

D22: Chest & HIIT

• Bench 220x5/8 sets

D23: Run & Deads/Abs

• Treadmill: 1.5mi @ 1% grade in 13:26
• Deads 225x5, 255x5, 305x3, 355x1, 385x5

D24: Delts/Tris

• Axle C1RP: 198x5/8 sets

D25: Air Force PT

• Run: 6 1/4mi laps w/ rest between each lap

D26: Abs & Legs

•  Squats: 275x5/8 sets

D27: Chest/Tris

• Bench: 245x5/8 sets

D28: Abs & Lower Body

• Deads: 335x5/8 sets

D29: Deltas

• Axle C1/PR: 223x3/8 sets

D30: Run & Lower

• 2 sets 3/4mi: 6:35, 6:46
• Squats: 310x3

After today's 2 runs I stumbled off the track with my knees killing me. I've been risking it by running without my knee sleeves - I stopped using them because I felt like they were slowing me down during my first running workout. Today it came back to bite me in the ass. 

Also, looking at the past few workouts, I've worked my knees too much. I decided to take a day off altogether and give them  lots of ice and rest. Let alone my end state goals, passing this thing in about a week isn't looking good at this point. 

D31: Rest

D32: Chest/Tris

• Bench: 275x5

D33: Back/Bis

D34: Low Intensity Cardio

D35: Self PT Test

• 1.5mi Run: 13:34
• Abdominal Circumference: 38"
• Push-Ups: 40
• Sit-Ups: 45

Today I decided that I'd given my knees enough time to rest and I needed to give myself a mock test. The results aren't very good. 

Final thoughts before the Physical Health Assessment:

If I come in with the same run time and waist measure and I'm am able to max out the Push-Ups and Sit-Ups, I'll squeak by with a 76.7. If by luck I'm measured at an inch smaller, it'll boost me to a 78.1. If I max Push-Ups / Sit-Ups, come in with a 37" waist and can shave :20 off of my 1.5mi run - unlikely - I'll hit 80 points on the nose. 

I'll get a little improved performance naturally from it being 'game-day' which'll help with the Push-Ups/Sit-Ups but I'll have to be careful to not run the first lap too fast and not be able to keep the pace or bring my heart rate down for the next 5 laps. 

At this point, what's going to happen is going to happen and if I don't fail it, I'll be thrilled. 

-Airpower~!!

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OWE14 D28-D34: 246.8-244.0

D01 - 01.06.14: 274.0

D28 - 02.02.14: 246.8

D35 - 02.09.14: 244.0

At long last I believe that have I hit the wall. I have lost 30 pounds of bodyweight in the past 34 days. I'm still within the "half a pound to a pound a day" target overall but... It was only a loss of 2.8 pounds in the past week. 

D35 - 02.09.14: 244.0lbs

During my last weigh-in I wrote; "Goal for D39 (02.13.14) weigh-in: Bodyweight to be somewhere in between 241.0 & 239.0 pounds. " I haven't really mentioned it, and if you aren't in the USAF, I don't think it's common knowledge so I should pause for a moment and say... Bodyweight has no direct correlation to the score of the physical fitness assessment. What the assessor does is find the biggest part of your gut, slap a tape measure around it and tell you that you're fat, bad Airman if it's over 39".  

I had a BodPod test done at the beginning of this cut and I haven't mentioned it yet because I'm waiting for the final results post. On the same day, I asked the BodPod tech to tape my waist and it came out to 43". With my Myo-tape this morning, I measured myself somewhere between 37"-38". 

For the next four days I'll be doing exactly what I have been for the past 34 days. While I'd like to come in between 241 & 239 pounds, I'm not going to stress too much about it. I'll need to rest a little between now and the test and at the end of the day, in terms of body composition, the most important thing is coming in with a wasp waist.

-Airpower!!

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OWE14 D21-D27: 253.0-246.8

D01 - 01.06.14: 274.0

D21 - 01.26.14: 253.0

D28 - 02.02.14: 246.8

Tomorrow I'll be 10 days and a wake-up away from the Air Force fintness test. Today I decided I was going to get on the scale a few days early so I could take a little breather and relax, based on my current bodyweight, which was 246.8.

D28/1230: 246.8lbs Bodyweight

This crash-cut is going much better than I had expected. After losing 16 pounds the first 10 days I thought that I hit a sticking point by now but I haven't. From day 1 to day 28, I've come down 27 pounds, .4 lbs away from 10% of my starting weight.

Goal for D39 (02.13.14) weigh-in: Bodyweight to be somewhere in between 241.0 & 239.0 pounds. Also, it's the day of the Air Force Fitness Test and pending the results, my last day of crash cutting.

-Airpower!!

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OWE14: W3 WOREP

I started the week out feeling a little sick and it's stuck with me. The combination of over-training and under-eating is started to take its toll on my strength.

D15: Rest

D16: Run

• .50mi/4:03, .25mi/2:02, .25mi/2:04 .50mi/4:24

Today, again, I failed during my run. My goal was to hit 3 sets of 2 laps each under 4:10. That's a pace of 12:30 for a mile and a half. My first set went well but on my second set, I just couldn't complete the second lap so I stopped, walked around, caught my breath and then hit the second half of it. I almost didn't perform my 3rd set but I dug down a little and knocked it out. 

I need to decide if I want to change my mile and a half goal from 12:30 to 13:00. But, more importantly, what I really need to do is learn to run at a metered pace. I was 7 seconds fast on my first .5mi, almost right on during my 2 .25mi laps and 14 seconds behind on my third lap. It was my 4th time running on the track since I started Op Waist Elimination nonetheless I should have been able to hit 3x .50mi runs today. I may be in trouble in Feb. 

D17: Push-Ups

• Push-Ups 20x5 sets

D18: Run & Chest/Tri

• Bench: 170x5, 205x3, 240x1, 255x5/4 sets
• 15:00 on treadmill @ 1.0% incline

Once again the temperature wasn't very much above 35 degrees. Instead of the rower today, I opted to run on the treadmill at a 1% grade. I started out at 6.7 mph (9:30/mi) and kept it there for 10 minutes before backing off a little to 6.2 mph to catch my breath and speeding up 7.2 mph to finish the 1.5. My time was 13:36 when the meter read 1.5mi. I walked the rest off at around 3.5 mph and my quads felt like they were going to explode by the time I was done. They quickly cramped up when I jumped off the machine.

I don't think it was a mistake to run on the treadmill. I know it's no substitute for the track. I put the grade to 1% to compensate for the difference. At the end of the day, I think it was more relevant to my goal then hitting the rower would have been.

D19: Squats/Abs & HIIT

•   Squats: 215x5, 255x3, 300x1, 320x5/2sets

I wanted to knock out 2 more sets of squats today at 320 but my legs were still trashed from the treadmill the night before. They were so shot, in fact, that I ditched all assistance work and finished with some cardio on the Arc Trainer just to get some blood in and out of them aiming to be able to run on the track in the following few days. 

D20: Delts/Bis & Low Intensity Cardio

• AxlePress from Rack: 123x3, 153x3, 183x3, 213x3, 228x5

Like yesterday, I was hampered by my sore quads so I stripped the bar after my 1 'heavy' set of Axle Press. One of my last workouts of 2013, I clean a 255 pound axle and knocked it out for 6 solid reps. There's no way I could have done that today. 

D21: Run & Abs/Back

• Run: Nonstop around track, 20:00

This morning was my D21 weigh-in... 253.0. Being much lighter than the first few times I ran, I decided to shoot for an endurance run and held a even pace of 20 minutes on the track today. I intentionally ran in the 6th lane so that I wouldn't be counting or attempting to pace laps. My legs were still sore from the treadmill run, it was windy, I didn't want to do this today. Every step past the 15 minute mark was a personal victory. 

I was supposed to hit Deads today after my run but my knee felt tweaked. The last thing I need is to blow it out while prepping for a fitness test. 

Week 3 Assessment
This week was the turning point in Operation Waist Elimination '14. The combination of over-training and under-eating has begun to take its toll on my strength and overall health. The first 16/17 days was pretty enjoyable and it was easy to hit the gym for these aesthetic-based slimming and trimming workouts. From this point on, it's all about using hatred of the AFI 36-2905 to fuel my training fire.

My 'heavy' sets in the Big 4 were completed at around 75% of my max. I should knocking these out for 10, 12, even 15 reps...   But I'm not and my pride is starting to suffer. Earlier in the week I found out that my test will be on Feb 13, 2014. I've really got to dig in and endure the final 17 days of this crash-cut. 

Goal tracking chart:

D18: 1.5mi in 13:36 on Treadmill at 1% incline
Not sure if that's comparable to running on a track but, it was better than not running at all - I hope

Week 4 Projection
I do not want to take a mock test again, well, not just yet. Being within 3 weeks of the actual test it would be a good idea to at least test all the components throughout the next week. Waist measure will be tough. For the 42" in the chart above I used a myo-tape. I won't have an accurate idea of where my 'Air Force Waist' is at until the day of the test. 

Airpower~!!

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OWE14 D11-20: 258.0-253.0

D01 - 01.06.14: 274.0
D11 - 01.16.14: 258.0
D21 - 01.26.14: 253.0

Today's goal was to come in between 253.0 & 248.0 pounds. After 20 day of Op Waist Elimination '14, I'm down 21 pounds: 

D21/1130: 253.0lbs Bodyweight

Goal for D31 (02.05.14) weigh-in: Bodyweight to be somewhere in between 248.0 & 243.0 pounds. I'll be surprised if I make it. I haven't seen a 240something on a scale since August of 2013. This week next 10 days is going to make the difference between passing and failing the test.

-Airpower!!

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OWE14: W1/W2 WOREPS

It would be very tedious for me post, and time-consuming for you to read every rep of every work completed over these 38 days. I think it's important to mention what muscle groups I completed on a daily basis or where/why rest days were taken  in addition to that I'll highlight, and comment on where necessary, where my weight of effort fell. 

Strength wise I'll be reporting main reps completed on the big 4: Bench, Squat, Dead and Axle Press as well as any exercise done for the express purpose of improving my 1.5 mile run time or Push-Ups/Sit-Ups for the impending fitness test. That should give us a decent starting point and keep these reports relatively short.

D01: Legs/Abs & C2 Rower

• Squats: 255x10/4 sets, 255x12
• 500m Rows @ Level 7, 6 reps
• 1:48, 1:45, 1:47, 1:46, 1:45, 1:44

I had wanted to hit to track today but the high in San Angelo was not much over 30 degrees and I didn't want to get sick so I settled for a Concept II Rower workout in lieu of running 6 laps (.25 miles each) with a rest in between each lap. It was comparable but a lot different as the C2 Rower beats my joints up a lot less than lugging 270+ pounds around the track.

D02: Chest/Tris

• Bench Press: 205x10/4sets, 205x12

D03: Back/Bis

D04: Air Force Physical Training

• Push-Ups: 30
• Sit-Ups: 30
• 3 laps on running track

Today at PT we had a mock PT test and my performance was shameful, to say the least. I would have failed every component that I tried out today. In terms of specifics, I'm 16 reps below my Push-Up goal, 18 reps below my Sit-Up goal and when I heard the timer say '9:01' as I finished my 3rd lap (.75 mile) I just stopped and walked off of the track, sometimes you do fail. I didn't need a mock PT test to know that I'd fail a real PT test and it wasn't really a 'wake-up call' as I was already well aware of my current state of fitness it was, however, sobering.

D05: Low Intensity Cardio Work

D06: Run & Back/Lats

• 1.5mile Run: Completed in 14:42
• Dead Lifts: 225x3, 275x3, 305x5/10 sets  

Today's run was a victory over D4's run when I ran 3 laps and quit. I needed to get my benchmark today so I could see how far I am from my goal and how much I need to improve. Over the course of the run I slowed down 5 times; 1 to tie my shoe, 
3 to walk and catch my breath and finally for a pastrami sandwich. Just kidding about the sandwich but I did fantasize about The Woody Allen served by Carnegie Deli. This 'run' was completed in 14:43, 2:13 longer than my desired end state goal of 12:30. It's a toss-up between if it will be most difficult to cut my run time or Air Force waistline.

D07: Delts

• Axle C1/PR: 123x3, 153x3, 183x5/10 sets

D08: Run & Legs

• Timed .25mi laps on track: 1:59, 1:55, 1:50, 2:03
• Squats: 235x5, 265x5, 290x10, 290x10, 290x12

My target lap time is 2:00/.25mi. That would give me an overall 1.5 mile run time of 12:00. That's 30 faster then ym end state goal but the theory here is like on that old Elementary School Lunchroom Poster; "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." The goal toady was to try to learn and get comfortable with a 8:00/mile pace. I should have run 6 total laps but I just didn't have it in me.

D09: Chest/Tris

• Bench Press: 190x5, 215x5, 230x10, 230x10, 230x11

D10: Back/Bis

D11: Air Force PT & Lower Body

• Run: 15:00, chugging along 
• Dead Lift: 275x5, 315x5, 345x3/10 sets

Today's PT session was good. My goal is to run twice a week minimum, always on Thursdays because that's when PT is. If the PT session doesn't satisfy my run goal for the day, I have to do extra. Today, the fragged session was in line with my run goal. The run goal was all about increasing my endurance. I went to the outside lap and chugged along for 15:00 non-stop and a pretty even pace. Admittedly is was a slow pace, but and even pace none the less.

D12: Delts/Tris

• Axle C1/PR: 125x5, 165x5, 205x3/10 sets

D13: Rest

D14: Rest

Weeks 1 & 2 Assessment
Overall, a good two weeks. No missed workouts and no short-changed workouts. I'm improving on the running endurance what I need to work on in the coming weeks is learning a run at an even pace. During my fitness test in '12 I was measured at a 34" waist, which meant max points and that had I metered my run, I would have come in with a total score of above a 90. That year my first lap was sub-1:40, much faster than my target, I threw up 3 times on the second lap and almost ended up failing the damn thing. I need to make sure that doesn't happen this year. 

Goal tracking chart:

Airpower~!!

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