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.
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.
Monday, November 25, 2024
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.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 6
Day 6 was a rest day for Lift 4, so I did the 645 cardio routine in the afternoon. I did a higher-impact version of the workout since I was not doing a second workout.
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Prison Break Season 3
The 13-episode third season of Prison Break aired during the 2007/2008 TV season. It does yet another reset of the show, this time finding the group again in over their heads, with Michael, T-Bag, Alex, and Bellick in Sona, the prison in Panama where the inmates literally run the asylum. Apparently, the prison is modeled after a real prison in Brazil where the guards stay outside the prison, and inside it is a "Lord of The Flies" scenario. We know that The Company wanted Michael in prison, and we learn within the first episode that it is because they want him to break someone out. From there, the rest of the season is a take on the season one breakout, but with Michael having to plan on the fly and improvise, with Lincoln and Sucre trying to help him from the outside.
This season was a bit uneven due mainly to it being cut short by the 2007 writer's strike, getting just 13 episodes instead of the standard 22. Sarah Wayne Callies was pregnant and in a contract dispute, which led to a significantly reduced role for her character. There are new characters introduced the main ones being Jodi Lynn O'Keefe who plays Susan B. Anthony/Gretchen who is basically a cleaner for The Company, Chris Vance as Whistler, another prisoner, Danay Garcia, as his girlfriend Sophia, and Robert Wisdom as Lechero, the inmate who basically runs the prison in Panama. As with the prior two seasons, there are quite a few twists and turns, and not every character is who they seem.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. For those who get the blu-ray set, the extras are all on the final disc. There are no commentary tracks, as for the first two seasons. There is a 25-minute behind-the-scenes featurette and a 40-minute director's take feature, which is basically the director of each episode doing a scene breakdown from that particular episode. You can play all 13 at one time or one by one. The extras are rounded out by a short between-takes feature, which basically has some actors saying what they do between takes and a feature on the breakout episode. It is over an hour's worth of extras, so for those who like watching the bonus material, it definitely makes picking up the blu-ray set worth it.
Friday, November 15, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Daredevil Season 2
Like season 1, the show is very violent. There are many fight scenes and lots of blood, not to mention language and sex that you do not get in the MCU movies or Agents of Shield. So, it is definitely a more adult show. It continues to be well-written and acted, and with just 13 episodes the season goes by quickly. For those who get the blu-rays, it is just a MOD set. There are no extras or bonus material. So, really, the only reason to get the discs is if you have a collection of the other movies and TV shows and just want this to have it complete or are one of those who prefer physical media over streaming. But, if you only get discs with a lot of bonus material and extra features, you will probably just want to stream this.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 5
Day 5 was the legs workout in Lift 4 (which is a 50/50 workout) and then the 645 cardio routine in the morning. As has been the case with all the Lift 4 workouts, I started this round using my ending weight amounts from the last round. The exercises were still challenging, but not as challenging as in the other three workouts this week, probably because in the final two weeks of the program, you do weighted leg workouts both weeks as opposed to alternating between a weighted workout and a HIIT workout.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 4
Day 4 was a lower-impact version of the 645 cardio routine in the morning and the shoulders workout, which is an interval workout, in the evening. I again used my ending weight from the last round as the starting weight for this round, and it was still extremely challenging. I do like the interval workouts in Lift 4 more than the 50/50 workouts, since you are only doing the HIIT moves for 30 seconds in intervals.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 3
Day 3 was the rest day for Lift 4, so I just did the 645 cardio routine in the morning. Nothing all that exciting to report from it. I did do a higher-impact version of the workout since there was no second workout in the evening.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Grounded For Life Season 2
The feel of the second season was much like the first, with the episodes telling a self-contained story, picking up the story in the middle (or later) of the story, and then catching the audience up using flashbacks. This season tackled topics like pregnancy scares, the teenage sex talk, Claudia taking up smoking again, adolescent love, both requited and unrequited, etc. The show told serious stories with a comedic twist, without going over the top into stupid, hokey comedy.
The best part of the show is that it depicted real people in relatable situations. The cast did not look like a bunch of supermodels, and the people were not depicted as perfect like a lot of sitcom families are. It filled in the studio audience's reactions with laugh tracks, but that never bothered me. I know some people hate shows with laugh tracks, so if that is you, it is worth keeping in mind.
As with the first season release, this DVD set is fairly bare-bones. It contains the 22 episodes on three discs. The discs are in paper sleeves inside the case, which sit in a rectangular cutout. It is actually a pretty good setup to keep the discs from getting scratched up. There are no captions, which may be a pain if you are hard of hearing or watch TV while working out on a treadmill or elliptical or something like that. There are about 25 minutes of extras, including an interview with Kevin Corrigan, a gag reel, an interview with Jake Burbage and Griffen Frazen, a sizzle reel of season-two highlights, and a segment on Ashton Kutcher's guest-starring role. Other notable guest stars in season two include Stephan Root, Natasha Lyonne, and football players Jim McMahon and Willie Gault during a Superbowl episode.
Chances are anyone who knows about the show after all this time will be a fan trying to track down the DVDs. They are getting harder to find at a reasonable price as they are now out of print. So, if you are a fan and you see the sets at a good price, snap them up because they may not be around that much longer, and I have not (as of this writing) seen the show on any of the streaming services. The DVD release is not great, but it is likely the best that will ever be put out for the show.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: The League Season 7
This season was largely similar to the others, mixing a couple of ongoing storylines (one significant one involving Andre and another involving a bet between Kevin and Jenny) with procedural stories of the week. It continued to be a very raunchy comedy and is definitely not something that will appeal to everyone. Overall, I thought the episodes were weaker in this season than in the prior seasons, but I do think that was partly due to the show generally running out of steam. There was only so much mileage that a show like this would have, and by the time this season rolled around, it was ready to end.
The DVD is a single-disc set. The extras are the same as in prior seasons for those who get the DVDs. Musical numbers, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and an alternate jokes reel (sometimes another gag reel). A decent amount for a 13-episode season of half-hour (mostly) long shows. As has been the case for the prior few seasons, there are no separate broadcast and extended/uncensored versions of the shows. The extended versions are included (for the episodes that had them); otherwise, they are the broadcast versions of the shows.
As I said above, the show is not for everyone. There is a lot of swearing, references to drug use, and sex. In the uncensored episodes from prior seasons, there were some nude scenes, but not much in this season (aside from a couple of butt shots). It is definitely not a kid-friendly show. But, if you like the more adult humor a cable series can get away with, it is definitely a show worth checking out.
Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 2
On Day 2, I did 645 cardio in the morning and Lift 4's back and biceps circuit in the evening. I again used the same amount of weight for the exercises that I ended the last round with. Even so, because the workout switched up from the last two weeks of the program, it was very challenging, and I struggled to finish the 10 reps in the third set.