Day 52 was 645 cardio in the morning and the PC2 workout from CE in the evening. I was finally able to increase the amount of weight I was using for all of the exercises from what I did last week, event the shoulder exercises. I actually did make progress on the shoulder exercises this month, but it definitely did not feel like it for most of the Push Circuit.
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.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 51
Day 51 was the off day in CE so I did the 645 cardio workout and the Lift 4 stretching routine in the evening. Both of them went fine, but I can definitely tell that I am not as flexible as I was when I was doing the foam rolling routines daily. So, I think when I do my next workout I am going to try to work that in more.
Book Review: We're Not Leaving: 9/11 Responders Tell Their Stories of Courage, Sacrifice, and Renewal
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Book Review: Ultimate Star Wars: The Definitive Guide to the Star Wars Universe
Every character gets at least a paragraph of text in the character section. The main and/or major characters get at least a page if not two, and the most important characters also have a timeline that outlines their lives up to the point we last see that character, whether because they died or their story will continue on. Some character bios are fleshed out with material from the novels (e.g., Quinlan Voss), so this touches on all aspects of the canon material (including the Battlefront II video game).
There is also some behind-the-scenes material that shows concept art, storyboards from the movies, and behind-the-scenes set photographs. Those appear at the end of each section of the book and have a couple pages of material.
Whether this falls into the " must-have " category is really subjective. It is a great "coffee table" reference book that most people will not sit down and read cover-to-cover. It will also very likely be updated as more movies and TV series are released. Even though the Skywalker Saga is ending with the next film, there will still be a ton of new material both on the Disney Plus platform and movies outside the Skywalker storyline released over the next decade. So this will be out of date at some point (as are any encyclopedias that have come before this one). Also, if you are just a casual Star Wars fan, you may find this overkill. But this is an excellent pickup for anyone who is a die-hard fan and has watched all the movies and TV series, read all the novels, etc.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 50
Day 50 started the final week of the Push Phase in CE. I did the 645 cardio workout in the morning and PC1 in the evening. I was again able to increase the amount of weight I used for a few of the exercises. I have been able to raise the amount of weight I used in the first week of the Push Phase by at least 2 lbs and was able to increase some by 5lbs over the course of the month.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 49
Day 49 was the 645 cardio workout, followed immediately by the CE ab routine. Then in the evening I did the Recharge workout from CE. Nothing much to report from any of the workout routines. They were pretty much all the same as the last time I did them.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 48
On Day 48, I did the Burn it Off routine from CE. I did not do the 645 cardio workout since I was a bit tired. I cannot say that this was the best workout ever, but I got it done.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Blindspot Season 4
The show has to, and again does a good job of, juggling the large ensemble cast, all while giving more expanded roles to Zapata (Audrey Esparza), Patterson (Ashley Johnson), and Rich DotCom (Ennis Esmer who has finally been promoted to series regular). Given that the show started with a big mystery to resolve, and has actually resolved it (which is usually the death knell for those kinds of shows) it has managed to remain compelling and interesting. The writing and acting are very good throughout the season, setting up what looks to be a strong final season.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. It is an MOD set, so it just includes the episodes. There are no extras of any kind. However, you get captions and a true play-all feature that allows you to pick up where you leave off, even if you stop in the middle of an episode. But, if you only get discs when there are a ton of extras, then you should stick with streaming this unless you have the prior seasons on disc and want it for a collection.
Friday, August 23, 2024
Book Review: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: A Crash of Fate
The story is, in part, a love story and in part an adventure involving The Black Spire, smugglers, and the First Order and Resistance acting in the background. It is basically a one-off story that does not really tie into the larger "Skywalker Saga" (i.e., the events of the movies). Even though it is a young-adult novel, it is enjoyable enough for adults too. The love story part of the book is not too sappy (for the most part), and it has some twists to it. The book is just over 300 pages, but it reads fairly quickly with a reasonable amount of characters to keep track of, and the chapters are fairly short (about 20 pages or less per chapter, with some only a couple of pages). So, depending on how fast you read, and how much time you have to do so, you can get through it fairly fast. While it is not a must-read novel, it is enjoyable and worth checking out for those who get some, but not all, of the novels.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 47
On Day 47, I did the 645 cardio routine and PC3 from CE. In PC3, I increased the amount of weight for all of the exercises except for two. I think I made the most progress in this workout from the first week than I did in the other two Push Circuit workouts this week.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 46
On day 46, I did a low-impact version of the 645 cardio routine in the morning and CE's Burn Intervals routine in the evening. Both of the workouts went okay, but I am still modifying some of the exercises in the interval workout.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 45
On day 45, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and PC2 from CE in the evening. I was able to increase the weight for some of the exercises, including a couple of the shoulder exercises. However, for most of the shoulder exercises, I used the same amount of weight as I did last week. Overall, both workouts went well.
DVD/TV Series Review: ALF: The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)
While it was a decent ending to the story, it did not include any of the cast members from the main series, so it was not a proper series finale. The two animated series were fine but were definitely geared 100% for kids, so they are not as enjoyable for adults. Ultimately, ALF was a fun show. If you lived through the 1980s, it will be a nostalgic blast from the past. One thing some may enjoy is that there are a couple of shots taken at donald t***p, proving that the orange genital wart was just as big a joke back then as he is now. Of course, Americans would be stupid enough to elect an idiot who was a punchline for 80s sitcoms and cartoons as President. The show is dated and a bit cheesy but holds up well and is worth the time to watch.
Thursday, August 22, 2024
DVD/TV Movie Review: Project ALF
Project ALF is a 1996 TV movie starring Paul Fusco, William O'Leary, Miguel Ferrer, Jensen Daggett, Scott Michael Campbell, John Schuck, Liz Coke, and Martin Sheen. There are also some great cameo and extended cameo appearances by recognizable actors such as Ray Walston, Ed Begley Jr., and Charles Robinson. It serves as a finale to the series ALF, which ran from 1986 to 1990 but ended on a massive cliffhanger with ALF being caught by the Alien Task Force when he was on his way to rendezvous with the ship coming to pick him up. In the movie, the government is trying to decide what to do with ALF. A general (played by Sheen) secretly plans to kill ALF, and two Air Force scientists (played by Daggett and O'Leary) help ALF escape.
The DVD is very bare-bones, just including the movie itself. When the fourth season of ALF was coming to an end, NBC had not decided whether to renew the show for a fifth season. There was, however, a tacit agreement between the network and the producers that they would end the season on a cliffhanger, and if the show was not renewed, NBC would allow them to make a TV movie to resolve the cliffhanger. However, NBC canceled the show and backed out of the agreement to produce a movie, so it was not until ABC approached the producers years later that they could finally get a TV movie to wrap the storyline up. Thus, we get Project ALF.
It is an okay wrap-up to the series, but because so many years had passed since the series's end, aside from Fusco (who voiced ALF and controlled the puppet), none of the other actors from the series appeared. The Tanner family was written out as having gone into the witness protection program and were living in Iceland. The movie has a slightly different feel than the TV show, but the character of ALF remains mostly the same, and thus, the brand of humor does, too. While it would have been nice if the actors from the TV show had been involved so that the series could get a proper finale, the movie, while a little cheesy, does wrap up on a good note. So, if you were a fan of the show, this is definitely worth the time to watch.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 44
Day 44 was the off day in CE, so I just did a high-impact version of 645 cardio in the evening. Again, I could tell that the range of motion on the squat jumps (both the 645 version and the P90X version) is getting much better.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 43
Day 43 started week 3 of the Push Phase in CE. Of course, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and then PC1 in the evening. I was again able to increase the amount of weight I used for most of the exercises. In this workout, the weight ranges I used went from 15 lbs to 30 lbs.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 42
Day 42 was 645 cardio, followed immediately by the CE ab workout. Then, I did the Recharge routine from CE later in the day. Each of the routines went fine. My flexibility has not really improved all that much during this time, but I think that is also partly because I have not been incorporating the foam rolling and stretching from Lift 4 as I intended.
Book Review: Dune Messiah (Dune #16)
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Book Review: Star Wars: Queen's Shadow
The bulk of the story is set between Episodes I and II as Padme transitioned from Queen of Naboo to a senator. It has much of the political tone of the Phantom Menace, which may turn off some people, but it also incorporates the relationship between Padme and the handmaidens and how they switch out for one another depending on the situation they find themselves in, and the great lengths and planning they go to in order to pull the switches off. Palpatine makes a couple of appearances both in his role as Chancellor and as Darth Sidious, as does Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, setting up their alliance which, of course, eventually spawns the Rebel Alliance.
For me, the best part of the novel is actually the epilogue, set just after the events of Episode III, with the "main" handmaiden, Sabe, vowing to find out what really happened to Padme. This definitely sets up material for another novel set during the early days of the Empire.
Overall, the novel is a pretty easy read, especially if you are a fast reader. While it is a young adult novel, it is one that people of all ages can enjoy. It does a good job adding to, and filling in, the period between Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones which has been lacking in material since the novels written before the Disney buyout of Lucasfilm were relegated to Legends status. I definitely recommend it.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 41
For Day 41 I just did the Burn it Off workout in the late afternoon. It went fine and I was able to go a bit harder on the exercises now that my cardio fitness is improving. I am still not doing the burpees since I want to lose at least 10 lbs so they get easier and are not as hard on my joints.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 40
Day 40 was 645 cardio in the morning and PC3 from CE in the evening. I was able to increase the amount of weight for nearly all of the exercises in the workout by either 2.5 lbs or 5 lbs. I still used 30 lbs for the bench press and 25 lbs for the single-leg sumo squats as I did last week, but I was able to increase the amount of weight I was using for everything else.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 39
Day 39 consisted of 645 cardio in the morning and Burn Intervals from CE in the evening. Both workouts went well, and as I stated in my last post, I can tell that my cardio fitness is improving, and I am slowly getting better range of motion. I still swap out some of the exercises that I am not all that fond of for ones from other workouts, but I still try to maintain the same intensity level as the people in the workout (aside from Skip who not only is annoying the whole time, but dogs it on some of the exercises despite his yelling TEN! when Chalene asks how hard people are going to go).
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Spiderman: Far from Home
Spiderman: Far From Home is one of the 2019 films in the massive MCU slate of movies. It stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marissa Tomei, and Jon Favreau (reprising their roles as Peter Parker, MJ, Ned, May, and Happy). It also features MCU alumni Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders (in smaller roles) and brings in Jake Gyllenhaal as the film's antagonist, Quentin Beck/Mysterio. It picks up months after Endgame when the world knows Iron Man, Black Widow, and Vision (and thinks Captain America) are all dead. The snap is referred to in the movie as "the blip" because the people who were snapped out of existence came back to the same place they were instantaneously, as far as they were concerned. May (who, of course, learned Peter's secret at the end of Homecoming) and Peter are using his identity as Spiderman for charitable fundraising, and he is getting ready to go on a summer trip to Europe with his class and has an entire plan to tell MJ how he feels about her. In the process, Peter gets sucked into a mission from Nick Fury involving the character Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhall. I will not say too much about the movie itself to keep from giving too much away, even though the trailer gave away a lot, both with footage that ended up in the film and footage that was cut. However, I will say it strikes a good balance between mourning Endgame's events and the first movie's comedic elements. The writing and acting were again great, and it sets up a lot of what is to come.
The 4K set is a two-disc set that includes a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The AV quality of the movie in UHD is wonderful, and it looks and sounds great as you would expect. The extras include previews that play after the disc loads before the main menu pops up. There are some different previews on the 4k disc vs. the regular blu-ray disc, which has all the other extras on it. Then there are deleted/alternate scenes, a gag reel, and multiple behind-the-scenes and making-of clips. It amounts to a little over an hour's worth of material. Overall, it is an excellent continuation of the MCU storyline. Thankfully, the spat between Sony and Disney was resolved so Spiderman stays in the MCU because the movie was clearly setting up a direction for the character which would have had to be scrapped if Marvel lost the rights again. I definitely recommend it.
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Jumanji: The Next Level
All of the main cast of characters who appear in the game, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas all appear. But, this time The Rock and Kevin Hart have to play DeVito and Glover's characters (to hilarious results) and Jack Black has to play Fridge. There are also new characters in the game, including Rory McCann (The Hound from Game Of Thrones, and one of the few outside pro wrestling who can make The Rock look small) playing the big-bad, Jurgen The Brutal, and Awkwafina. Colin Hanks also reprises his role, in a larger role than he had in the first movie (but not much).
The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc (with the movie) and a regular Blu-Ray disc (with the movie and the bonus content). The film looks and sounds excellent in the UHD format. The UHD disc includes previews that play after the disc loads and the movie itself. The extras on the regular blu-ray disc include approximately an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, a gag reel, and the same previews as on the UHD disc. A good amount of extras, especially since fewer extras are being included on the physical disc releases these days.
Overall, the movie uses the same formula as the first, a blend of comedy, action, and a bit of drama. Yes, there is quite a bit of bad language and some off-color jokes. So, if you would be driven nuts by that, this is not for you. From what I remember, the first movie was not exactly squeaky clean either, but this is definitely not a movie for young kids like the original 1995 movie. The Rock and Kevin Hart are awesome playing old geezers, and once Awkwafina shows up, she steals every scene she is in. A mid-credits scene clearly sets up a third movie, that will definitely take things in a different direction. While I cannot say that everyone will like the movie, but if you were a fan of the 2017 movie, this is definitely worth checking out.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 38
Day 38 was PC2 in the evening and 645 cardio in the morning. Like the PC1 workout this week, I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for some of the exercises (mainly the lower-body exercises). Since the upper-body exercises in the workout are primarily shoulder exercises, I did not bump up the weight I used on those.