Stop growing up already!

Eleven years ago I was a 21-year-old junior in university about to embark on a journey that could only be described as “scary as %#@*!”

Still baby-faced and pimply, I had no idea the road ahead me and what it would entail.

The sacrifices that would have to be made.

The sleepless nights.

The shift in thinking – from “me” to “we” – that would prove to make or break our success.

Eleven years ago today, I became a father for the very first time.

Eleven years ago, with minimal support, Rozanne and I were living in student family housing as an unwed couple. I was working full-time, she was a new full-time mom and we were both trying to finish school.

With no real sense of “how” to do things and all these obstacles and stereotypes to overcome, the one thing that pulled us through, the one thing that remained constant, the one thing that made us stronger was our newborn baby daughter – Angelica Jordan.

It is no doubt that I am a young father and that I will always be THE young father.

I listen to 90′s hip-hop music.

I wear hoodies & jeans.

A fitted “Abercrombie & Fitch” T-shirt doesn’t look ridiculous on me.

I don’t look like the other dads standing on the sideline of the soccer pitch.

And I LOVE IT!

Being a young and fit dad allows me keep up my athletic daughter. It allows me to somewhat relate to what she’s going through because I can recall what I went through. It’s allowed to forge a really close relationship with her.

The most amazing thing that I’ve noticed in my 11 years of fatherhood is being able to recognize little pieces of me in HER.

Her DRIVE in wanting to master any physical task.

Her COMPASSION & SENSITIVITY towards others.

Her willingness to GIVE as much as she can to those she loves.

So to all DADS out there…

Soak up everything you can with your children.

Be there as often as you can.

Work isn’t that important. Money isn’t that important. The latest in toys and gadgets aren’t that important.

Happy 11th Birthday, AJ.

Daddy Loves You.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

I survived a crazy-busy day yesterday.

Morning clients, some writing and then taking the remainder of the afternoon off to take Joey, my 5-year-old, to the dentist.

Joey had to get 3 cavities filled. After a brief discussion, it was determined between myself and her dentist, Dr. Laurel, that the best route to go to help Joey through the agony of getting cavities filled was LAUGHING GAS.

After it all, she felt nothing and just remembered feeling like she was floating on a cloud. Too bad , I had brought my Flip Camera hoping that the experience would be something like this…

After the dentist we headed home and then my night really began.

I whipped up dinner in about 30-minutes and then AJ and I headed over to her soccer practice. I stuck around for a little bit only to watch her coach make the team run around a 400m track several times.

It was painful to watch. Partly because I can remember my old high school basketball coach force laps on us in the gym (more for punishment than for conditioning), but mainly because I don’t think running around a track at sub-maximal effort for 20-minutes is congruent to the demands of soccer.

Soccer, and any other team sport for that matter, is a series of sprints and start-stop actions. You don’t just run straight. You go forward, backward, side to side and every other direction.

The duration of these MAXIMAL EFFORT activities lasts only a matter of seconds. So, to force your athletes to run at slogging pace for 20-minutes is teaching them nothing.

The whole “building a cardio base” theory is a bunch of crap.

Sometimes I wish coaches would use logic when they put their practices together. Young athletes should be focusing on short sprints and agility drills to build power and speed.

Practice SPECIFICALLY to the demands of your sport.

After having enough of watching my daughter kill-off her fast twitch muscle fibers by jogging away, I hopped over to the gym for my own workout.

Here’s what went down…

1a) Pull-ups (5 x 230, 6 x 230, 15 x bodyweight)*
1b) Standing BB Military Press (5 x 135, 6 x 135, 15 x 95)

2a) DB Rows (12 x 80, 15 x 80, 25 x 60)
2b) Blast Strap Push-ups (27, 22)

3) Dips (15, 12)

***I weigh 175lbs, so for the pull-ups, 230lbs = 175 (my bodyweight) + 55lbs on a weight belt

A good workout. But, I’m not used ot training at night, so I felt that my energy was relatively low. I find that mid-afternoon is my ideal/optimal time for training.

After the workout, I headed back to the soccer pitch to pick AJ up. We got home and started to bake some cupcakes for the kids in her class.

It’s her birthday tomorrow!

Have a great day,
Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

Yesterday I got a great "pulling/deadlift" workout in.

Here's how my workout went down…

1) Rope jumping x 120s, glute activation, bodyweight warm-up
2) Hang Clean (5×135, 6×135)
3) High Pull (6×175, 6×185)
4) Shrug Pull (6×225, 6×245)
5) Deadlift (5×275, 5×285, 20×135)
6) Face Pull (20×60, 15×70)

I've been doing this workout for a few weeks now and really enjoy it because I've seen my results carry-over into everyday life.

I've noticed a big increase in my vertical jump – going from barely nicking the basketball rim with my finger tips to fully grabbing the rim and swinging on it like a monkey.

I've noticed how my back pain (which usually occurs the day after I play basketball or volleyball) has virtually disappeared.

I've noticed that my posture is a lot better, my shoulders and traps are looking "meatier" and I'm down an inch around my waist.

I've also noticed that my wife is slapping me on the rear end a lot more…BONUS!

All of these benefits from a workout whose purpose is to get me stronger and more athletic.

I'm not training for the "looks"…although, believe me, I know looking better is a bi-product.

I'm not training specifically for fat loss…but I have lost an inch around my waist.

As busy dads, because our priorities have evolved since we've had children, our workouts need to evolve as well.

Gone are the days when we can open up some bodybuilding magazine and copy the high-volume workouts that are meant for 20-year-old meatheads.

We should be training for performance – to get better each and everytime.

We should be training for health – eliminating back pain, increasing Growth Hormone production and increasing energy so we can keep up with our kids!

We should be training for strength – so we inspire our kids, keep the fire burning in our marriage and be the figure of strength in our family.

Those are the reasons I train and bust my a** each time I'm in the gym.

What are YOUR reasons for training?

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Get started on your quest for strength and pick-up the FitAndBusyDad Workouts!

http://FatLossWorkoutsForDads.com

Chris Lopez

FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com

This weekend, I did something that I haven’t done in a long time.

I got asked by a friend of mine to play in an all-day competitive tournament this past Saturday. It was fun. And tiring. And it made me realize that I’m not a young buck anymore.

Because although I’m still relatively young, I’m not 23 anymore. So now it takes a little more “umph” to jump a little higher and a little more effort to dive after a ball.

One thing I did have a leg up on though was how I take care of myself. While these young cats were busy consuming chocolate bars and pizza, I had managed to pack myself some healthier alternatives.

If you took a look into my cooler, you’d find…

-a small bag of carrots
-a tub of organic hummus
-3 apples
-a container of cashew butter, coconut flakes & pecans
-3 big bottles of water

Towards the end of the day, you could tell who was going to be able to push a little harder and who just didn’t have anything left in them.

With soccer season fast approaching and with AJ already starting to practice with her travelling team, I know that the all-day tournaments are just around the corner.

With that in mind, while I was preparing the night before, I made sure that my athletic soon-to-be-11-year-old helped me pack my cooler.

I’ve said this many times before, but I think it’s worth saying again….KIDS LEARN THROUGH EXAMPLE.

So if she sees me packing my cooler and fueling my body with healthy foods that will fuel my body to endure a 7-game-in-one-day tournament, then chances are that she’ll remember our little father/daughter moment of her helping me and will make similar healthier choices for herself.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

A young man (he was 10) asked my daughter for her phone number over this past weekend.

And so it begins. My 10 year old is in her final year of elementary school and will start middle school next September.

With middle school comes school dances, the beginnings of raging hormones, mouthy teenagers and B.O….oh the joy. I can’t wait.

So now is the time for me to start putting a little more (QUALITY) weight on my 180lb frame.

When the boys come knockin’, they need to know who’s in charge…and it’s not going to be a skinny, unintimidating push-over.

I’ve got goals over the next 12 weeks to put 10lbs of muscle on and lose 10lbs of fat.

I’m also going to focus on spending more individual time with my wife and each of my kids.

AND, I’m going to focus on getting to bed earlier for myself.

TODAY is the day it all begins.

What about you?

12 weeks from now, how lean, muscular and fit will you be?

Will you have dedicated time to yourself and to your family and have MADE yourself a better dad?

Will you have set the example for your kids and have shown them your new found commitment to health & exercise, thus paving the way for them to live a healthy and fit life?

Will you have taken yourself out of YOUR own personal comfort zone to force your body and mind to change and become better, stronger?

If not, why not?

12 weeks to create new habits.

12 weeks to create a new physique.

12 weeks to your wife whistling at you as you mow the lawn with your shirt off this summer!

12 weeks to BE A BETTER DAD.

Enter the FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge for FR*EE and transform your body and your life…

Pick-up a couple of FitAndBusyDad Workouts, get peer support and access to my advice here…

http://FitAndBusyDad.ning.com

Check out the Rules and how to win the $750 Grand Prize here….

http://FitAndBusyDad.com/Contest

Get the complete FitAndBusyDad Lifestyle Package here…

http://FatLossWorkoutsForDads.com

Chris Lopez

The FitAndBusyDad

When it comes to changing my body, I know what to do.

My workouts need to be intense and I need to be breaking records everyday.

My diet needs to be tight – meaning that I should be sticking to the 90-10 Rule focusing on eating fresh, unprocessed, HIGH-QUALITY foods. I should be eating at least 1-2 servings of fruit and/or vegetables at every meal and should be eating lean protein like chicken, fish, eggs & lean cuts of beef and pork AND consuming good fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and saturated fats from naturally raised animals.

But, for me, that’s the easy part.

In fact, I attribute my slight gain in belly fat to stress and lifestyle factors. And the biggest culprit, I believe, is me not getting enough SLEEP.

I’ve written about what I need to do to make sure I have a productive day when I’m SLEEP DEPRIVED. But that’s just a band-aid solution.

In order for me to get to where I want to be, I need to tackle the problem head-on.

It’s tough, because as soon as I get home, I’m on point – pick-up the kids, get dinner ready, help with homework, feed them, bath time, story time, bed time…when it’s all said and done, it’s about 9pm.

After that, I like to spend time with my wife (whom I haven’t seen all day) and sometimes there are miscellaneous things to get done at home – paying bills, filing, laundry, clean-up, etc.

When that’s all done, it’s usually 11/11:30pm. That’s not a bad bedtime when you get up at 7am…but I wake-up at 5am (sometimes 4:30). 5-6 hours of sleep per night is NOT going to cut it if I want to lose 5-6 inches off my waist.

Lack of sleep causes your body to produce the hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol are directly related to the storage of belly fat.

So I need to create a better routine and better habits.

Over the next 12-weeks, for my FitAndBusyDad Transformation Challenge, I’m going to form the habits of…

-Getting to bed by 10pm
-Watching less TV (with the NCAA tournament going on, that’ll be tough)
-Reading 1hr everyday
-Shutting the computer down between 4pm and 9pm so I can spend dedicated time with the family
-Spending at least 1-hour of alone time with each one of my girls individually (that includes my wife) once per week
-Avoiding “eating out” at all costs, EXCEPT once per week (which will constitute my reward meal)

What are you going to do to help TRANSFORM your body and BE A BETTER DAD?

(make sure to leave you comments below!)

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Are you up for the CHALLENGE? Get on board with the other guys in the FitAndBusyDad Community and start your Transformation Today for your chance to win $750 CASH!

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad workouts and join the FitAndBusyDad Challenge!

It’s March Break (or Spring Break as my American friends would say), and we took the kids to the Art Gallery.

As I was getting dressed this morning, I noticed something that I’ve never seen before…

Check out my “BEFORE” pictures by becoming a member HERE.

->Join the FitAndBusyDad Community

Follow me on Twitter to get updates of what I’m eating, how my new habits are coming along, and what I’m doing for my workouts. Click HERE.

->Follow @fitandbusydad on Twitter

Chris Lopez

P.S. I’ll be using these workouts to build muscle and get my 6-pack back. Click HERE to get started with my workouts!

->Get Started With FitAndBusyDad Workouts

Today’s a travel day for me, so I’ll try to get to you this evening when I’m at my hotel.

For now, take a look at this and enjoy!

Chris Lopez
The FitAndBusyDad

So just as I expected, the weekend was as busy as ever and I found it tough to get myself to the gym.

That’s why I started the Weekend Workout Challenge…because it uses minimal equipment and it’s a great way to get some friendly competition in with the other dads over at the FitAndBusyDad Community thus allowing us some incentive to get that ONE workout in on the weekend.

Since this week’s challenge was a lower body workout, I added a chin/pull-up ladder to give myself a full body, bodyweight workout. You should try this workout as well. It killed me and it took me about 18-minutes to complete the whole thing! Here’s what went down…

1a) Ladder: 5 reps each of pull-ups, close-grip chin-ups, neutral grip pull-ups and regular chin-ups

1b) Leg Crank from the FBD Weekend Challenge x 4….Times Completed – 1min 22sec, 1m 16s, 1m 7s & 1m 34s

So basically, I did 5 reps of each exercise of the ladder, then a Leg Crank.

Then 4 reps of each exercise on the ladder, then another Leg Crank.

Etc, etc, etc.

All in all, I finished 4 total Leg Cranks and a grand total of 60 chin-ups of various grips…in 18-minutes.

A Great Workout…and on to a NEW Program tomorrow.

Enjoy what’s left of your weekend.

CL
The FitAndBusyDad

OK guys, let’s try this again.

Last week, it was only myself and one other member (out of 60!) that posted a time for the first WEEKEND WORKOUT CHALLENGE.

So I’m going to have to make things a little more enticing for you guys.

So here’s the deal, the TOP 3 times of each challenge will have their names entered in a draw. The draw will happen on the Monday AFTER the last weekend of each month.

Prizes will vary, but we’ll start with FitAndBusyDad T-shirts and then move on to things of more value as the weeks go by and participation increases. Sound fair?

So here’s what you need to do…

1. Sign-up for the FitAndBusyDad Community on Ning

=>Sign-up for FitAndBusyDad.ning.com

2. Do the challenge below.

3. Post your time.

Get up off your butts this weekend and try the CHALLENGE!

Here’s this weekend’s workout…

The JC Santana Leg Crank

(All exercises MUST be done in the “Prisoner/Hands Interlaced Behind your head” position)

24 x Squats
24 x Alternating Forward Lunges
24 x Split Hops (Jump Lunges/Strides)
12 x Squat Jumps

Remember, you can perform the circuit as many times as you like throughout the weekend. Top 3 times go into the draw.

That’s it. Your legs will be screaming when you’re done!

Post your times HERE and let us all know!

Chris

P.S. An impressive time to shoot for would be in the 60-75 second range!