The Roman Gladiator

So things have been pretty busy lately for me and I’ve gotten a little off track. I’m trying to get things going a little, hence the update.

My wife is due to go any day now. The doctor said he would induce labor on the 24th if she didn’t go into labor before then. So it’s T-minus 11 at the most. Easter was a lot of fun. My little girl really enjoyed hunting for eggs and it was nice to see some of the family.

As far as the career change goes: I received my ranking for the Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff exam and I’m 5th on the register! Couldn’t ask for a better performance there. I’ve just got to get rolling with my 1.5 mile time. I’m not too worried about the other physical requirements. Regarding the teaching/coaching option, I attempted the GRE and scored a 700 on the quantitative section & 550 on the verbal portion. I think I could have scored higher on the verbal section with a better study plan. Ideally, those scores will be sufficient to gain acceptance into UAB’s 5th year M.A.Ed program. Time will tell. If that doesn’t go well, I’m taking the Social Studies Praxis II on April 25th (Hope the baby is here well before then). That would give me the option to pursue an ABC certification.

I hit the gym today for the first time in a while, I’m failing miserably at the Mini Challenge. BUT my main goal was to maintain my weight loss from the 52DC and I have succeeded on that front. This morning I weighed in between 243-244. Which brings my total loss from Feb. 5th to about 32 lbs. I think I have about 20 lbs to go, but we’ll see. I lifted 360 lbs on the flat bench hammer strength machine 5 times on my last set. I will be focusing on strength gains for the upcoming 52DC so that seems like a good “bench mark” PUN intended. I think I could have went heavier, but was feeling some discomfort in my outer pecs and didn’t want to risk an injury. I’m going to have to really listen to my body and not push too hard too fast with such heavy weight.

I’m very excited about the upcoming 52DC, I’m still contemplating my goals, but they should be very challenging now that I’ve established a solid fitness foundation over the course of the past couple months.

Thanks for checking in! I also posted a new progress pic in that section for those following along.

Ever just have one of those days? Well I’m having one of those weeks! My willpower is holding regarding diet (which is usually my biggest challenge). I’m just in an awful mood. I’m not sleeping well. Basically, I’m just pissy. Maybe a solid gym session will snap me out of it today. Here’s hoping.

Wow, so today is the last day of the current 52DC. I feel like I’ve made very good progress, for the time I’ve spent this go around. Now it’s time to ramp up for the next challenge starting on April 15th. I’ll be doing this in part by hosting a Mini-Challenge during the interim.

Thanks to TNT Man, Skycabin, and TJAK for allowing me to take part in hosting the Spring 52DC. With Shaggs, and jzh898 on board I think it will be one of the best yet!

I am one RT away from completing my goal of 30 RT’s for the 26 days I participated this time. It has been tough, but I’m seeing the results every time I look in the mirror. My sleep, mood, and overall fitness has improved dramatically, and I’m so thankful I joined up! I met my CT goal a while back, but haven’t really pushed through and continued to make the strides I need to make there. Next time I’ll focus more on the CT aspect.

My wife had her OB appointment this morning, and it looks like little harrird will be here soon! His due date is April 25th, but the Doc said, “Pack your hospital bag, and don’t go anywhere,” so we are very excited. I’ll be sure to post some pics of the new addition when he arrives!

Sorry guys, I’ve been MIA on here for a few days, but I’m back now. So, I’ll try to update everything that has been going on.

My strength is still coming back! I finished my Hammer Strength Flat Bench with a final rep of 350#. And on the Incline (PM workout) I knocked out a final couple reps with 360#. So I was pretty stoked about that.

Now I’ve got to work on Lower body strength. Considering my previous knee and back injuries. Squats really scare me now. I tried to overcome that a little today, and loaded up 2 plates on each side. Still a little apprehensive, but focusing on form.

I’ve lost a little motivation with the running, and that’s what I need to be focusing on probably the most right now. That, and Calisthenics. I need to be hammering more push-ups and sit-ups. My dips have improved 10 fold over the past 2 months. These will all be things I continue to focus on over the course of the next challenge and beyond.

24 is a freaking awesome show. I finally got around to watching the first season and I was very impressed.

On the career side of things, I’m going to be taking the GRE in another week or so, signed up for English and Social Studies Praxis 2 Exams, and waiting to see where my score ranks with the Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff Exam (It should be high, guessing top 20).

Progress Pictures are up on the other page now. I’ve sent the PW to a few folks, if you want in on the joke leave a comment here and I’ll get it to you.

Solid AM workout. Did well with the shoulders, and really stepped it up on the treadmill. I’m trying to get my mile and a half time to resemble something decent.

Tonight I knocked out some fantastic Chinese Food. I went with General Tso’s Chicken. Afterward we nailed Dip-n-Dots. It was great. Now that I’ve fulfilled my need. It’s back to the straight and narrow tomorrow morning.

I’ll probably be hitting an RT tomorrow or Sunday to make sure I stay on pace to hit my goals.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I’ve had a pretty good day today. I feel like I got a lot accomplished. 2 solid RT sessions, cleaned up the garage quite a bit, and signed up for the GRE. Right now I have a few options on the table as far as the career change goes.

I got the test results back for the Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff Test. 94.17/100. So hopefully that should place me pretty high on the register. A friend of mine took the test in November and scored an 88 and that ranked him in the 30’s so I’m anticipating a top 25 score. What that means, I’m not sure. What is a certainty, is that I need to start training vigorously for the PFT. That’s going to translate to more CT’s and fewer RT’s probably 3 total body workouts per week vs the current 8 times weekly. I’m finishing the 52DC with the current program, but changing immediately afterward.

My other option is pursuing a career in Teaching/Coaching. To accomplish this I need to:
(A) Take and pass a Praxis II exam.
OR
(B) Get accepted (without any pre-req’s) into UAB’s fifth year M.A.Ed Program.
So, I’m signed up for the English Praxis next month and the Social Studies Praxis in June. I’m also taking the G.R.E. in about two weeks for my application to UAB’s graduate program. Lots of changes going on right now!

As far as the progress pics go, I’m going to keep you guys anticipating a little longer. I’m going to go ahead and hold myself accountable and say here and now I’ll be passing out PW’s to those that want a laugh at the end of the current 52DC. That should give me a little more time to make some more progress and compile the photo’s into a collage of some sort. Sorry to disappoint, but believe me, IT’S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!

DISCALIMER: The Roman Gladiator will not be held responsible for injuries sustained to the retina after viewing progress pictures. If in doubt please consult your ophthalmologist before requesting a password!

Had a good PM workout. I really feel like I “toasted” my quads today. It was pretty brutal. I also added a lot of core work in this morning and evening. Time to start the toning process!

Apparently I was having some issues with the previous theme accepting comments. The issue should now be resolved. Thanks to baseballmom for pointing that out to me!

Took a few days off from posting. I had a birthday yesterday, so I enjoyed that thoroughly. Burned one Clean Eat, and missed one RT, but it was well worth it. I feel very much recharged now. The workout I did get in yesterday was a very solid one. I finished my last set on the hammer strength machine with about 300# loaded up. It was very motivating to see that kind of weight moving again.

I just got back from the gym a little bit ago. I had a very productive leg RT, and got a pretty good sweat going on the treadmill. That wraps up my CT goal. So that’s one less thing to stress about!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

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