Here you will find things about fitness and nutrition, mainly (but not exclusively) in relation to the Beachbody programs like P90x and Insanity. And, I will start adding reviews for Books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, and other products. All views and opinions on this blog are my own.
Welcome
Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.
I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.
I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time. As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Product Review: Sole Support Rocky" V2 Winter Insulated Boots
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Place Season 3
The 12-episode third season of The Good Place aired during the fall of 2018 and winter of 2019. It continues telling the serial story, so there is no way you can jump into the show part-way through and have a hope of following along with it. The seasons tell one long story that will make little sense if you just try to start watching it halfway through. In fact, each episode begins with a title card listing the chapter number, which has been counting up from the start of the series. So, if you are going to watch it, start at season one.
The season begins with everyone back on Earth, with Michael having saved them all, altering the events just before they each died to keep them alive, in the hopes that they will, on their own, become better people and end up in "The Good Place. "Of course, things start to go off the rails, and the plan ends up changing. It is almost impossible not to give too much away, but by the end of the season, the show comes (almost) full circle with twists.
The show continues to be well-written and acted. You really do get the idea that the bulk of the story has been planned out from day one by the writers, so it has a very good flow, and keeping the number of episodes in the season low, really works well. While all the actors do a great job with their parts, D'Arcy Carden deserves special props for her portrayal of Janet because she has to play so much in one character. Most of the same guest stars make at least one appearance this season, including Maya Rudolph as the TV binge-watching judge and Adam Scott as a demon from "The Bad Place."
The DVD set is a two-disc set. While the show is fantastic, the DVD release, as has been the case with the prior seasons, is bad. It is basically a MOD release that happens to have a couple extras. The plus of getting the DVD is that some episodes have an extended running time over what was broadcast. I am not sure if Hulu has the extended episodes. The two extras are an 8-minute gag reel and a 2-minute special-effects reel. Otherwise, there are no commentary tracks, captions, behind-the-scenes material, or anything DVD sets used to get. And, of course, there is no blu-ray release, which is not surprising given that TV series blu-ray sales are so bad as a whole that only a select few series ever get a blu-ray release, and when they do, more and more, they are getting MOD releases. The DVD transfer is not of great quality, at least when watching it on a DVD player that does not have an HDMI connection. So, mainly, the reason to get this is the extended episodes and for those, like me, who still have a large physical disc collection to keep it complete. Otherwise, you are not getting much above just streaming it.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 30
On Day 30, I did not work out in the morning, so in the evening, I did the 645 cardio routine followed by Lift 4 back and biceps. The back and biceps this week is a circuit workout, and it is one of the hardest lifting routines in the program because of the fact that you are lifting heavier weights and have no rest between the exercises in the sets and minimal rest between sets and blocks. I had to drop the amount of weight I was using on several of the exercises to be able to maintain proper form.
Monday, December 9, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 29
Day 29 was the start of week 5 in Lift 4. So, in the morning, I did the 645 cardio routine, and in the evening, I did the Chest and Triceps workout from Lift 4, which was a 50/50 workout. I did not raise the weight from the past couple of weeks because the weight I was using for the exercises was still very hard last week. And I had to drop the amount of weight I was using for the chest press in block three during the third set because I could barely get the 10th rep in with 35 lb dumbbells in the second set. Even with using the same amount of weight the workout was still very challenging.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 28
On day 28, I did the same thing as yesterday. Just the 645 cardio routine in the evening. I was still moving stuff from my basement to the top level of my townhouse so I was getting extra cardio in.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 27
On Day 27, I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. I was also moving things around my townhouse, running up and down multiple floors, so I was getting extra cardio work going from the basement to my top level. I did not do either of the Lift 4 recovery routines, however.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Better Call Saul: Season 2
Saturday, December 7, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0 Season 8
To balance out their departures the show brought in Meaghan Rath, who plays Tani, a police academy washout with McGarrett-like tendencies, and Beulah Koale, who plays Junior, a former Navy Seal looking to get on to the task force. The series also upped Ian Anthony Dale to a series regular. The writers did not split up Adam and Kinon, instead, oddly keeping them married, with her gone for the entire season. The addition of the new characters breathed a bit of new life into the series and allowed the show to do the kind of character development it had not done for quite a while, given that most of the other cast members had been on the show for a long time. That said, it was pretty crappy that Park and Kim were not paid the same given that for the first few seasons, before the additions of Chi McBride, Masi Oka, and Jorge Garcia as series regulars, those four characters basically built the series.
The show kept the case-of-the-week format it used throughout its run and tied in longer arcs throughout the season. One of the longer arcs involved Adam, as did the season-ending cliffhanger. This season's notable guest stars included Joey Lawrence, James Frain, Randy Couture, and Vincent Pastore (who plays Danny's uncle in a few episodes). Michelle Borth and Terry O'Quinn also reprise their roles as Catherine and Joe White in different episodes. The show did a good job balancing out stories for all the characters, which was helped by Scott Caan's notably reduced schedule during the season.
The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras include deleted scenes for select episodes spread throughout all the discs. The final disc has a behind-the-scenes feature (about 23 minutes), a short feature on the new characters/actors, an animated "cargument" between Steve and Danny, and a gag reel. So, the set includes a decent amount of bonus content, but not as much as was included in the sets for the first few seasons. And, of course, as has been the case from about the fourth season onward, there is no Blu-Ray release available, just DVDs.
Overall, while the show is getting a bit "long in the tooth" I would not say it is entirely stale. While the show does suffer a bit from the loss of Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim, the overall feel did not change much. If you have been a fan of the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if you have not really liked the show up to this point, nothing about this season will likely turn you into a fan.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 26
Day 26 was a HIIT day with 645 cardio in the morning and Lift 4 legs (which was a HIIT only routine) in the evening. Both went well. The only modification I made in the Lift 4 routine was to swap out triple bear with speed skaters. That way, I could do all 45 seconds and not have to modify. Even with that swap, the routine was challenging.
Friday, December 6, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Fight Season 3
Ultimately, the season combines story-of-the-week episodes with an ongoing anti-t***p resistance theme centered around the characters of Liz and Diane. The show is unashamedly anti-t***p and ties a lot of things from the real-world (or variations of them) into the storylines (e.g., the plaid-shirt guy getting kicked out of t***p's rally, the unqualified judges being approved, etc.). So, if you love the orange genital wart you will hate that part of the show, but realistically, if you were paying attention from season one, it just amps up what they were doing before. On the other hand, if you hate agent orange, you will either find it highly amusing or ignore it. The show does a good job of not painting those involved in the "resistance" movement as heroic or all-good. In fact, in the season finale, the show sets up them as a potential "bad guy" in season four.
Overall, the season is very good. It tackles issues like the "me too" movement, climate change, race relations, etc. There is quite a bit of cast turnover, with some characters being put on the back burner and others getting a larger role. Michael Sheen was excellent in his role as a morally compromised, drug-addled lawyer who was sometimes an ally and sometimes an enemy of Reddick, Boseman, and Lockhardt. Christine Baranski does a great job again as the series lead, and it continues to be well-written and acted.
To me, the one thing it lacked was balancing stories for all the ensemble cast members. It is a very large cast, and given that there are a smaller number of episodes per season (this one had just 10 episodes), there was no way to give all the characters compelling stories. Like the prior seasons, the episodes vary in length from about 44 min to 55 minutes, and because it airs on CBS All-Access (now Paramount+), they can get away with swearing and more risque sex (the latter of which there was really not any of this season) as they could on The Good Wife. The political themes do not bother me. I do find some funny and others silly. But of course, many times when people complain about a show getting into politics it is because the politics are against what he or she personally believes. But, given that the parent show, The Good Wife, was very heavy into politics, it is not a shock that this one would keep at least some politics in the mix.
The DVD set is a three-disc set. For those who get the DVD set, I would describe it as a MOD-plus set. It does have a few extras (deleted and extended scenes for some episodes, a gag reel, and the pilot episode of Star Trek Discovery), as well as captions. But, there are no commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes, or making-of features. So it is very bare-bones. Overall, if you liked the first two seasons, you may, but are not guaranteed, to like this one. That will depend largely on who your favorite characters and storylines from the first couple of seasons were. If you did not like the first two, then there is nothing about this one that is likely to change your mind.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 25
Day 25 was the 645 Cardio routine in the morning and Lift intervals in the evening. Both workouts went fine. I could use the increased amount of weight for all of the exercises. I found that the second set of each exercise was easier than the first, but then the weights got heavy again by the end of the third set. I liked all of the HIIT exercises in this workout because none of them were triple bear, catchers, or mountain climbers.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 24
On Day 24, I just did the 645 Cardio routine. I did not do either of the Lift 4 recovery workouts because I had a longer day than I had originally anticipated.
DVD/Documentary Review: Alexander Hamilton
Book Review: Star Wars: Tears of the Nameless
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 23
Day 23 was the 645 cardio routine in the morning and Lift 4's back and biceps workout in the evening. The back and biceps workout was a 50/50 workout with the lifting first and the HIIT after. I was able to start each round with the increased weight, but had to drop the amount of weight for some exercises in the second and third sets of each block.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Luke Cage Season 1
The show is well-written and acted. While Mike Colter does much of the heavy lifting, the rest of the cast comprises many great actors, some great character actors and others of more notability. It is a true ensemble cast, however, because when the show aired (and arguably even now), none were really A-list actors (although Mahershala Ali is getting close). While set in NY like the other Netflix shows, it tells its own story and has its own feel.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality is good, but the set is light on extras. It is a bit more than a MOD set, though, as it has a 22-minute roundtable discussion with some of the cast members with interview clips of the showrunners. It was not bad for what was included, but it was not a ton of material. If you are a fan of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, this is definitely worth checking out.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 22
Day 22 was the start of week 4 in Lift 4. So, I did the 645 cardio workout in the morning and the chest and triceps workout from Lift 4 in the evening. The chest and triceps workout was a circuit workout, and it was hard. I started out with the increased weight, but by the third set in each block, I had to drop the amount of weight I was using for pretty much every exercise.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 21
On day 21, I did the 645 cardio routine followed by Lift 4 stretch. Both of them went fine and I did have a bit more flexibility in my hamstrings than I did in the legs workout on Friday.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Prison Break Event Series
The nine-episode event series/fifth season of Prison Break aired in the spring of 2017, about seven years after the fourth and (at the time) final season. This series came about when Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell began working together on The Flash and reminiscing about their days on Prison Break and that it would be nice to revisit that story. There was already an unaired storyline from season 4 that showed events that occurred during the time jump to the last scene and set up Michael faking his death, and this series took things from there.
The series starts with Lincoln receiving a picture that intimates his brother is still alive and (again) in prison. He discovers that Michael is indeed in a prison in Yemen, under an assumed name, and is considered an ISIS-sympathizing terrorist. As was the case for almost every season of the show, not everything is what it seems, and for having just nine episodes, the show is packed with twists. Some of the twists worked, and some were kind of silly. The series does retcon the date of Michael's death listed on his headstone, having him die in 2010, most likely to match up with the seven-year break between the original series finale and the event series.
This series serves as a way to give the fans a better ending for the main characters. It also blends in characters from the original series, both in large and small roles, although not every character from the original series appeared in the event series. There are also many new characters, mainly from the Yemen prison part of the story. Given the limited run of the series, there was not a lot of time to develop any of the new characters in detail, but the show managed to give them some depth. The main cast for the event series included Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, Paul Adelstein, Rockmond Dunbar, Robert Knepper, Amaury Nolasco, Mark Feuerstein, Inbar Lavi, and Augustus Prew.
The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set. The only extra is an approximately 11-minute making-of feature on how the series was put together. It was okay, but not as extensive as the bonus materials included in the prior seasons. Given, however, that TV series on physical media (especially on Blu-Ray) have sharply declined since the original series went off the air, it is not all that surprising that the extras are very light. The Event Series was released on Blu-Ray separately, but it is easier to find on DVD (especially in the US). The easiest way to get it on Blu-Ray is by getting one of the complete series sets that includes it.
Overall, it is a good series that brings back popular characters and gives them more of a "happy" ending than they got in the original series. I do not think it as good as the original series, at least not the first couple of seasons, but I do think if you enjoyed the original series, you will likely enjoy this. And, it does give the series a full four-season episode count, essentially replacing the episodes that were lost due to the season-three writer's strike.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 20
On Day 20, I did the 645 cardio routine, followed by the foam rolling routine from Lift 4. The foam rolling continues to help get the knots out of my quads and hamstrings. I am not back to where I was when I was foam rolling every day, but I am getting closer.
4K-UHD/Movie Review: The Bourne Identity
DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Fight: Season 2
The Season starts with the funeral of Carl Reddick, who died offscreen between seasons one and two. His daughter, played by Audra McDonald, joined the firm after she was fired from the US Attorney's office after sending out an anti-t***p tweet. The writers wrapped up the Rindell storyline early in the season, which was needed because the story had played out. The rest of the season focuses on Diane going through a mid-life crisis, Chicago lawyers being bumped off, Luca and Colin's relationship, and being anti-the-orange-genital-wart. The show pulls no punches in its political bent and hatred of t***p, at least by the showrunners. So, if you love t***p and are one of his idiot cult members, you will absolutely hate this season (and probably the show in general).
The DVD set is a four-disc set. For those who get the discs, they are a bare-bones, almost a made-on-demand set. It does have a handful of extras, deleted scenes for some episodes, and a gag reel. There are no commentary tracks or behind-the-scenes material. Pretty par for the course when it comes to what is being released on DVD for TV seasons these days.
This is definitely not a show that will appeal to everyone. It is highly and unashamedly political. And, because it airs on the streaming platform, it does show nudity and has a lot of swearing, including the f-word. Kind of hilariously, the gag reel bleeps out all the swear words the actors say when they mess up, but the show is full of swearing. So if that kind of stuff will turn you off to a show, then you should skip this. However, if you liked season one, the writing and acting are on par or better.
Friday, November 29, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 19
Day 19 was 645 cardio in the morning (or early afternoon in this case) and Lift 4 legs in the evening. I did both workouts a bit later than usual, but got them done. The leg routine was absolutely challenging with the increased weight, but I was able to do all the reps in each set with the increased weight (although my front-loaded squats were shallower with 25 lbs than they were with 20 lbs, so I was at the limit on those).
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 18
Day 18 was the 645 cardio routine in the morning and the shoulders workout in Lift 4. This week's shoulder workout was an interval workout, so it was one of the quicker workouts, which was nice. I was able to increase the amount of weight on the various exercises, which kind of surprised me, given that shoulders have been my weak point for the past few rounds of workouts.
DVD/TV Series Review: Grounded for Life Season 5
The show ended with a "life will go on" feel for the characters. The writers tied some things up by the end of the series but left a lot open for the characters, leaving the audience to imagine how life would work out for them. That was a fine way to end a series like this. Even though the series did not feel the same as in past seasons, it tried to hit on similar themes of family and growing up that had carried throughout the prior seasons. Overall, the show ended up with a 91-episode run, slightly under a "normal" five-season run for a series, which usually results in at least 100 episodes. While it was the right time to end the series, I would have liked the full original cast to have more of a presence, at least in the final couple of episodes.
The DVD set is a two-disc set. Of all the DVD releases for the series, this one is the most bare-bones. It just includes the episodes. It has no extras, and the episodes do not have captions. The DVDs do go out of print from time to time and can be harder to find at a reasonable price. If you can find the set at a fair price and have the other seasons, it is worth adding to your collection. If not, it is available to stream and I believe is included if you have Amazon Prime.
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 17
On day 17, I did the 645 cardio workout in the evening. I had to work out a bit later than I anticipated, so I just did the cardio workout and did not do either of the Lift 4 recovery workouts.
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 16
Day 16 was the back and biceps workout in Lift 4 and, of course, the 645 cardio routine in the morning. The Lift 4 workout was a circuit workout. Even though it had no cardio, it was tough. I did try to increase the amount of weight I was using for the exercises, but on some of them, I had to reduce the weight after the first set, especially in the second block.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Movie Review: Prison Break The Final Break
The Final Break is an hour-and-a-half-long TV movie that aired a few weeks after the series finale of Prison Break (on May 27, 2009), showing the events that occurred during the time that passed in the time jump in the series finale where it was revealed that Michael was dead. The basic story is that Sara is arrested for the murder of Michael's mother and thrown into a women's prison in Miami. The General sets up a hit on Sara, and Michael finds out and springs a plan to break her out. Most of the major characters that appeared in the fourth season (Sucre, Malone, Lincoln, and T-bag) also appear in this. Jodi Lynn O'Keef also reprises her role as Gretchen and gets a better sendoff than she got during the "main" episodes of the fourth season. Lori Petty plays the main antagonist for Sara in the women's prison. There is not really any setup for the storyline that would play out in the event series where it is revealed that Michael faked his death, aside from the fact that his death is never shown on screen.
The Blu-Ray is fairly bare-bones. The A/V quality is akin to the series releases; the only extra is about four minutes of deleted scenes. There is no making-of feature, no commentary track, etc. That knocks it down a star for me, but overall, it gives a decent but somewhat unnecessary alternate ending to the original series run. Personally, I think the fourth season's ending was a fine ending without any further explanation, regardless of whether the event series was ever made.
Monday, November 25, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 15
Day 15 was the beginning of week 3 in Lift 4, which meant doing chest and triceps and increasing the amount of weight for each of the exercises. I was able to use increased weights on every exercise through the three sets except for the skull crushers. I did the first set with 20 lbs and the last set with 15 lbs. For the second set, I did about five reps with 20 lbs and the other five with 15 lbs. During the cardio portion (this was a 50-50 workout), I modified the 180 squat jumps and the jump lunges, but I did not modify the soccer runs. And, of course, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning. So, ultimately it was a good, but tough, workout day.
DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Fight Season 1
The Good Fight picks up a little more than a year after the series finale of The Good Wife. The opening scene is Diane (Baranski) reacting to the inauguration of t***p, and then planning her retirement in France. Of course, she signed the paperwork to give up her partnership with the law firm (which now has eight named partners because of mergers with two other firms), much to the delight of David Lee. She is then caught up in a Madoff-like financial scheme allegedly run by the parents (and uncle) of her god-daughter and newly hired associate of the firm (who was never mentioned on The Good Wife), Maia, played by Game of Thrones alum Rose Leslie. When Diane tries to revoke her retirement and resume her role as a named partner in the firm, she is essentially forced out and ends up with a rival, mostly black-owned firm, Reddick, Boseman, and Kolstad. That is all the setup the show gives or that the audience needs to know before the show gets going.
There are a few main themes that run throughout the season, Diane trying to catch on at the new firm and being a fish out of water, Maia trying to navigate being a new lawyer and dealing with the scandal involving her family, and, of course, the various cases of the week. We do not really get much of an idea of what happened to the main characters from The Good Wife. We learn through Lucca and Marissa Gold (the latter of which comes in as Diane's assistant) that Alicia has left Chicago, but we do not learn of her "post slap" fate beyond that. The only plot point from The Good Wife that carries over to this show is Diane and Kurt's relationship after the final trial of the other show.
The series does an excellent job of introducing the new characters into the universe the prior show set up. The great (mostly) character actor Delroy Lindo and Justified alum Erica Tazel play the new partners opposite Diane. Justin Bartha (probably known best from the National Treasure movies) plays an AUSA and love interest for Lucca. Those who were fans of The Good Wife will recognize many guest stars, including Christine Lahti, Matthew Perry, and Jason Biggs (among others). Michael Boatman also reprises his role as Julius Cain, who has left Lockhart, Agos, and Lee and become a partner at Reddick-Boseman.
As with the parent show, this one delves not only into politics (and if you are a t***p supporter, you will probably not like the political bent) and current (or recently current) events. It is well written and acted, and like The Good Wife, it gets a lot (although not all) of the legal stuff correct. Any lawyer will appreciate the scene where Maia is refreshing the screen while waiting for her bar exam results to come in, which many would-be lawyers have done. It does take many of the same creative liberties with the courtroom scenes that The Good Wife did to make things more dramatic than would occur in real life.
The DVD set is a three-disc set. It is a very bare-bones release. It is almost a MOD release, but it does have some extras (deleted scenes for most episodes and a gag reel) and captions (which kind of hilariously were clearly done knowing most sets would likely be sold in the UK because they spell words like honor as honour, and use mum for mom, as would be done in the UK). However, given that most shows do not get a DVD release in the US these days, it is nice to get anything from those who prefer physical media. I think the showrunners made a good decision to keep the season shorter, 10 episodes, as opposed to the 22-24 per season that The Good Wife got. It enables them to get in and out of the main storylines and leaves the viewers wanting more. Because it airs on the streaming platform and not over the air, the episodes are a bit longer (usually between 45 and 55 minutes), and they get away with swearing (there are many f-bombs dropped). While I cannot say that everyone who was a fan of The Good Wife will like this one, I generally think if you enjoyed that show, you will like it. That said, the show really goes out of its way to stand on its own, and while it does pay homage to the parent show it, wisely, does not try to be a carbon copy of The Good Wife.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 14
On Day 14, I did the 645 cardio routine, followed by the Lift 4 Roll and Recover routine. It again felt good to do the foam rolling routine because I still have a ton of knots in my legs.
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 13
On Day 13, I just did the 645 cardio routine in the late afternoon. I did not do either of the Lift 4 recovery routines, but I plan to do at least one of them tomorrow.
DVD/TV Series Review: Grounded For Life Season 4
For the most part, the show continued with the same feel as it had. Mostly, story-of-the-week episodes that did not carry over to subsequent episodes. They did not rely on flashbacks as much as in prior seasons to tell the stories. The show still incorporated them into most of the episodes; they just did not use as many as they did in the prior seasons. The show continued to use the themes of family and growing up, both for the kids and the adults of the show. Although the characters of Henry and Jimmy took a backseat to Lilly's storylines as far as the kid's characters went.
The DVD set is a four-disc set. The extras were the same as the season-three set. Commentary tracks on select episodes and previews for other DVD sets released around the same time. There are no other behind-the-scenes materials. Chances are, the only people likely to get these DVDs are people who were fans of the show when it was on the air. The sets are going out of print and getting much harder to find as time goes by, which is why some are $50+. This one is the most expensive of the individual season sets, so if you can find it for a reasonable price, pounce on it because they may get more expensive as time goes by. And, given that TV series being released on physical discs are going the way of the dodo bird, the chances of it ever getting another DVD printing is slim to none.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Prison Break Season 4
The 22-episode fourth season (and original final season) of Prison Break aired during the 2008/2009 TV season. The fourth season packs a lot into the 22 episodes, starting with two episodes that essentially finish the season three storyline, which was cut short due to the 2007 writer's strike. We find out what happened to the Sona prison and where the various characters end up after the escape (which involves a bit of a time jump). It is not spoiling anything to say that the reveal that Sarah was not killed (Sara Wayne Callies resolved her contract dispute and returned to the show), and from there, the rest of the season involves the group trying to take down the company, mainly surrounding a McGuffin plot point called Scylla. There are some returning characters from prior seasons, as well as new characters, notably a Compay hitman played by Cress Williams, who would go on to play very different characters on Hart of Dixie and Black Lightning, and if you saw those shows before this one, his performance as a bad guy is even more impressive, and Michael Rappaport, who plays a Homeland Security agent with a deal for the team.
The show has a lot of twists and turns, as it did in prior seasons, but I think some of them were things that would have been revealed last season if season three actually had a full season run and was not cut off at 13 episodes. So, it just feels like the season jumps around a lot. There are a lot of reveals, and as you should have come to expect from the show by now, not everyone makes it out unscathed. One thing I think the show did a great job of is not giving a happily-ever-after ending to all the characters.
The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set. It should be noted that the Blu-Ray release contains the original 22 episodes that aired but does not contain the two unaired episodes (which are available separately under the title The Final Break), which aired as a TV movie and bridges a time-jump gap that occurs in the series finale. The extras include commentary tracks on select episodes, mainly from the writers of the particular episodes. However, some cast members appear on a couple of the commentary tracks. Then, the final disc has a little over a half hour's worth of behind-the-scenes material (broken up into three featurettes).
Overall, I think the season ended the series in a good way. Of course, it did not end up being the end of the series, as a limited event series aired in 2017 and gave the show a much better ending. But that was not a given thing when the fourth season was shot. The acting and writing were still top-notch, and the show still managed to do a lot of character development, even with the established cast. Because of the show's serialized nature, you need to have seen the prior seasons before watching this to really get what is going on. If you liked the prior seasons, then you will most likely enjoy this one.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 12
On Day 12, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning, followed by the Legs routine from Lift 4 (a HIIT routine without any lifting) in the evening. I was very sore and tired in the evening workout, so I swapped speed skaters for triple bear and squat jumps for catcher jumps. Even with those modifications, the workout was still challenging, and I tried not to modify any exercises until I absolutely had to.
Book Review: The Woman in Me
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 11
Day 11 was 645 cardio in the morning and the shoulders workout in Lift 4 in the evening. This week, shoulders is an interval workout, so you do two weighted exercises followed by a 30-second HIIT exercise in each block. Again, the resistance exercises were still very challenging even though I was still using the same amount of weight that I had ended the last round on. It will be interesting to see how next week goes when I increase the amount of weight for all the resistance exercises.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 10
On Day 10, I did the 645 cardio routine, immediately followed by the Lift 4 "roll and recover" routine. I still had a lot a knots in my quads and hamstrings and it felt good to roll them out. I did not do the Lift 4 stretch, but I do not find that one as helpful as the foam rolling.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Iron Fist Season 1
The series tells the origin story of Danny Rand (Jones), the son of a billionaire corporate mogul. The family is involved in a plane crash when Danny is 10, and all of them are presumed dead. Danny mysteriously reappears 15 years later as a super-powered martial artist determined to take down The Hand, the shadowy organization involved in Daredevil. The ties to the other shows are the characters of Claire (played by Rosario Dawson) and Jeri, the lawyer from Jessica Jones (played by Carrie Ann Moss). The story alternates between Danny's reintegration into society and trying to uncover what The Hand is doing in NY. I will not divulge anything else so as not to spoil it, but it packs a lot of story into the 13 episodes.
The show got a lot of bad reviews that, in my opinion, are underserved. The acting is very good, and Finn Jones does a good job with the character Danny Rand. The show is definitely not perfect. One part of the story that I did find a bit ham-fisted was the whole arc with Harold Meachum, but overall I think I think the story of Danny trying to get his life back, reconnect with his childhood friends (played by Jessica Stroup and Tom Pelphrey), as well as trying to take down The Hand was great. The rest of the supporting cast, including Jessica Henwick and David Wenham, did well in their roles. While liking it is, of course, subjective, and for me, it was not as good as Daredevil or Jessica Jones, it was not as bad as many critics made it out to be. I definitely think it is worth taking a chance on.
It does seem there are a couple versions of the Blu-ray set floating around. I have the region-free version with no extras, just the episodes. You can stream it, for now, on Netflix, but given that Netflix canceled it, and all the other Marvel shows, along with losing the rights to the Disney content which will eventually be removed, that may not last. So even if you usually only get the physical discs when there are a lot of extras, this may be worth picking up anyway.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 9
Day 9 was back and biceps in Lift 4, which was the 50/50 workout and 645 cardio in the morning. The back and biceps workout was challenging and my arms were very sore and tired by the end of it. The cardio portion went okay. I did the modified versions of each exercise, but I can tell my stamina is getting better.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Grounded For Life Season 3
The season starts out with life changes for the family, as the result of Claudia's pregnancy test at the end of the second season is revealed. I will not reveal everything that happens, but some things about the show stayed the same, but others changed quite a bit, brought on by the kids growing up and Richard Riehle being downgraded from a series regular to a recurring role, which, in my opinion, did hurt the show a lot. In the shows that aired on TV, he was only in one episode this season, but he did appear in the two bonus, unaired episodes. The show continued to deal with themes about growing up, both for the kids and the adults, in a humorous way, including relationships, peer pressure, sex, etc.
The DVD set is a two-disc set. The bonus material includes the two unaired episodes and commentary tracks by cast members and showrunners on a few select episodes. There are no other behind-the-scenes material or cast interviews as there are for the sets for the first and second seasons. As is the case for the other seasons, the DVDs are basically out of print and getting harder to find at a reasonable price, so if you are a fan of the show and see the sets at a good price, they are worth the pickup, even though the DVD sets are fairly bare-bones.
Book Review: Children of Dune (Dune #18)
Monday, November 18, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 8
Day 8 was the start of week 2. I did 645 cardio in the morning and the chest and triceps workout from Lift 4 (which was a circuit workout this week) in the evening. The circuit workout for chest and triceps is much harder than the 50/50 workout in week 1. You get no rest between exercises and only 30 seconds between sets. So you do 40 reps in each set with minimal rest. Then, the burnout round is three sets of wide and triceps push-ups, performing each move for 30 seconds. I could not go for the entire 30 seconds on either of them in any of the sets.
DVD/TV Series Review: The League: The Complete Series
For those who get this DVD set, it is just a different packaging of the individual season releases. It is a huge keep case with 14 discs (two discs per season, with the episodes split across the two discs) with round plastic holders with a tab in the middle that the center of the disc is placed over. In the early seasons, if you use the play-all mode, it only plays the broadcast versions of the episodes. If you go into the episodes menu, you get the option to play the broadcast version or the extended/uncensored versions, which usually had more swearing but also, at times, nudity. The extras were pretty consistent throughout the series. Deleted scenes, gag reels, alternate jokes reels, and musical numbers (sometimes the same that aired in the shows and sometimes ones just included as DVD extras).
As I said above, the show is not for everyone. But, if you like the more adult humor that the cable series can get away with, it is definitely a show worth checking out even though it did hang on for a season or two too long.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 7
On day 7, I did the 645 cardio routine, followed by the two Lift-4 recovery routines. I absolutely needed the foam rolling, which I have not done in weeks. I had knots up and down my quads and hamstrings, so it was nice to roll them out (or at least loosen them up). During the last round of Lift 4 I skipped the recovery routines, which I am now finding was not a great idea.
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Overall, the movie is faithful to and pays homage to the various Godzilla stories that came before it, adding a modern twist. The director and co-writer, Michael Dougherty, is an admitted Godzilla nerd and really wanted to incorporate material from various incarnations of the Godzilla mythology into the movie. I think (I am admittedly not an aficionado of Godzilla lore) he did a good job doing so. While I cannot say that everyone will love the movie, it is an enjoyable action movie with good acting and writing, and worth a look.