Archives for March 2019

2004 Ford F150 5.4L Turns Over But Won’t Start

March 31, 2019 - Updated March 31, 2019

Things to do. People to help. Places to go. Thats what I had planned one morning a week ago as I jumped into our 2004 Ford F150. Sadly, it did not want me to do any of those. Balls. Just balls. Instead of meeting my Mom for a Dr. appointment I headed back inside and fired up the Google and YouTube machines.

Here’s the deal. I spent about an hour searching for my trucks symptoms and after piecing various posts and videos together I think I found what was wrong. But there wasn’t a great post or video so I decided to share what happened to me in words and a video (at the bottom) together to help a fellow 2004 Ford F150 owner out.

Symptoms

Truck turns over to 200 RPM’s but does not turn on.
Battery appears to be good. Accessories (Radio) turn on, etc.
Not making the “Starter” not working clicking sound.

It didn’t need a jump. And everything appeared to be normal. Fluids were fine. I had just driven it 600 miles total the three days prior from my house in the suburbs of Detroit to Boyne Highlands Ski Resort in Northern Michigan and back. Nothing made sense.

Strong Probability

Combing through various posts and videos the one thing that kept popping up was a Fuel Pump Driver Module. Many posts and videos talked about how these things would crack in half due to being exposed to the elements which in turns exposes the circuit board eventually breaking it. This was a design flaw from Ford back in the day.

Each video said they weren’t that hard to locate as they were above the spare tire on the cross rail or frame. After watching a short video on how to lower the spare tire from the truck I was able to locate it and this is what I found.

The moment I touched the Fuel Pump Driver Module it fell from the cross rail in two pieces. Damn thing cracked in half and the bolts rusted off. It was hanging by the wires. Here’s what it looked like when I un-hooked it from the wires.

Off to O’Reillys I went and thankfully they had the Dorman 590-001 in stock. The same part was $25 cheaper on Amazon but I could not wait three days to get it. So $104 later I was back in my driveway and under the truck. After cleaning up some of the rust on the cross rails I had it hooked up and installed in about 15 minutes. Dorman improved on the design with rubber bumpers lifting the Fuel Pump Driver Module off the cross rails so there would not be metal on metal slowing down corrosion.

Got the keys. Jumped into the drivers seat. Reminded John (it was my Dad’s truck and I named it after him) how much I’ve been talking about getting a Tesla because they don’t have things like Fuel Pump Driver Modules, or Fuel Pumps, or for that matter Fuel and it would be much appreciated that when I turned the key that he started.

A turn of they key and 5.4L’s of Tritons awoke.

I really wanted to end this post on the sentence above but the check engine light did turn on. A trip back to O’Reilly’s to use their free diagnostic tool to get those codes ran showed the computer was not detecting the new Fuel Pump Driver Module and a Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit was tripped too.

I didn’t know how to clear those codes with their diagnostic tool and the truck drove like normal so hopefully they just go away. If not, a call and a trip back to O’Reillys to clear those codes might be in my future.

LIIFT4 Workout Review: Meh

March 12, 2019 - Updated March 12, 2019

Four months ago I went out to my garage, moved a bunch of boxes, and setup an area to workout in. It was November here in Michigan which means it was starting to get cold. We were in the fifth month of what was supposed to be a two month finished basement project which forced me to workout outside. No big deal. I’m from Michigan and have Under Armour laying around everywhere.

What motivated me to get my butt outside and workout was hearing all the positive reviews coming in for LIIFT4. I needed to start getting my butt into shape and I liked what I was reading along with what I saw on clips from Beachbody. Four days a week for 8 weeks and 40 minute workouts sound good to me. As soon as it was available on Beachbody On Demand I got at it.

You Don’t Need Much

I was kind of surprised to read that all you really need to do LIFFT4 is a set of dumbbells. All set there with my decade’s old Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells. Besides printing out the LIIFT 4 Weight Progression Tracker to keep track of the amounted of weights lifted you don’t need anything else.

After taking a look at the LIIFT4 workout calendar it reminded me more of how P90X and a little bit of how Body Beast were set up. Chest/Triceps followed by Back/Biceps, Shoulders, Legs, repeat.

What separates LIIFT4 from those workouts is its supposed to be lifting and HIIT’ing. Hence the name, LIIFT4. From looking at a few clips it appeared they would do a lift and then drop down and do Burpees or something. So I was getting myself ready for something like that.

I Made It Two Weeks

I’m not going to beat around the bush here and tell you how much I loved LIIFT4. That’s not going to happen. Nor are you going to find any before and after photos. Instead, I’m going to tell you I felt LIIFT4 to be kind of boring.

I’ve done a few of Joel’s workouts live at a Coach Summit or Leadership Event and they were great. But that’s different than following along by yourself at home on a laptop versus the energy of being in a large crowd.

LIIFT4 needed to be more HIIT or more LIFT. Not both. And thats kind of the direction I’ve felt Beachbody has been going with their latest workouts. Their trying to make tough total body workouts and I don’t think its working.

Take the very first workout you do (Chest/Triceps) for instance. You do 15 total lift moves along with some jump squat “catchers” thing, mountain climbers, some soccer kick thing, and ending with some ab moves.

I’m not saying I was able to breeze through the cardio stuff but I was able to make it through that part easier than what I should have been able to do on the first try. And the lifting sequence was straightforward.

As A Comparison

P90X Chest & Back has 12 exercises done twice (24 moves). I don’t care who you are you will feel what you did from P90X Chest & Back the next day. And the next day you do Plyometrics which is basically a HIIT workout. Both workouts challenge the shit out of you.

Not so much with LIIFT4. I never felt challenged. I didn’t mind the leg workouts because leg workouts are a different beast but everything else was Meh.

Sure, I was working out in my garage all geared up in 45 degree weather where I might not have been getting warmed up. But I should have been getting some warmth or a bit of a challenge with this being an advanced program.

You Need A Little More

I was talking to a friend of mine a month ago who completed an entire round of LIIFT4 and liked it. Him and I workout for different reasons. He does it to keep the weight off. I workout to keep in shape.

When talking about LIIFT4 I told him that I’d do the Primal Blueprint workout ( 2 sets of pushups, chin-ups, squats, and planks) after each LIIFT4 workout to make sure I’d “feel the burn”. While defending LIIFT4 (he’s a lawyer) he let it slip that he started using T25 to warmup around week 3. Even he needed a little more. Basically, he made LIIFT4 into an hour long workout. Which is what it needs to be advanced.

While I don’t think I’m in great shape right now I was still making time to workout a couple of days a week prior to starting LIIFT4. And I have a decade of doing P90X, Insanity, The Asylum, and Body Beast under my belt. Maybe that’s why LIIFT4 didn’t feel all that advanced to me.

In Conclusion

In the end I don’t think someone who might be just a little out of shape should do LIIFT4. There are better options. That is unless you’re looking for a maintenance program or something to squeeze in with running, biking, swimming, or playing a sport.

If you are out of shape and a little overweight but with a history of working out I do feel that LIIFT4 would be a good place to start. Its not extreme and if your goal is to get back into the swing of things then it would be a good test to see where you’re at.

For me, I don’t see myself coming back to LIIFT4 or even using the workouts in a hybrid program. Blame it on Tony Horton, Shaun T, and Sagi for setting the bar just that much higher over the past decade. Don’t worry about me. I’ll probably start my 100th round of Insanity or something.

I Worked Out While Doing The Beachbody Ultimate Reset

March 11, 2019 - Updated March 11, 2019

Its been two years since I did my last round of the Ultimate Reset. For some reason we skipped 2018 after making it a regular thing we do to start off the New Year before heading to Cancun at the end of January.

I knew I had to do it this year. 2018 was lackluster for me. Didn’t play softball. Didn’t really do that much that kept me motivated to workout. Throw in a finished basement project (where my workout area was) that took seven months instead of two to complete and I am way off.

Energy is down. Fitness is down. And a solid ten pounds jumped onto me. I signed up for a softball league in 2019 and our workout area in the basement is done. Its time to get back at it.

So we bought the Ultimate Reset Dual Kit after getting back from Cancun in early February. All that’s changed since our last round is they updated the Power Greens formula and provided a “Reset In A Crunch” where you pick three meals you like from that week and eat only those. I’m not going to go in depth on prices and things like that here. For that I recommend you check out my original Ultimate Reset review.

But for this round I wanted to go against the rules of The Ultimate Reset and workout.

If you have never done the The Ultimate Reset it encourages you to scale back on working out and give your body a chance to relax and heal through the 21 days. Walking, Yoga, and light workouts are ok but nothing like Insanity, P90X, or Body Beast. In all of my previous rounds I didn’t workout and still lost 10+ pounds each time.

But I’m a solid 15 pounds heavier than where I want to be. And softball starts in early April. I don’t want to go out there way out of shape especially after missing a year.

I figured since I was carrying 15 beautiful pounds with me that my body could snack on those pounds with me eating less following the meal plan. In theory this sounded ok to me. Especially since I know those meals kept me quite full.

What workout should I do?

I had done two weeks of Insanity prior to starting and I plan on continuing but not limiting myself to it. I need to start running again even with it being butt cold here in Michigan. Plus, I like to swim once a week and I picked up a spin bike on Craigslist. Might do some Body Beast Legs and Yoga workouts from Beachbody On Demand on certain days. From time to time do the Primal Blueprint workout (2 sets of push ups, pull ups, squats, planks) as a warmup too.

If I’m feeling gassed I’ll take the day off. And if I need a few more calories I’ll make the portions a little larger or add something to the snacks I’m allowed to eat. But no coffee and no alcohol per the rules.

Prediction: I lose the same 10 pounds I normally do and don’t notice that much difference in my before and after photos.

To keep track I will log in and journal what I did each day with a picture of my Apple Series 3 Watch activity tracker at the end. Gotta close those three rings!

Day 1 – Body Beast Bulk Legs. Insanity Cardio Recovery. 24 minutes spin bike. (107 exercise minutes)

Day 2 – Warmup. Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance. 50 minutes spin bike. (103 exercise minutes).

Day 3 – Day off. Feeling a bit tired from the previous two days. And my legs are still sore.

Day 4 – Insanity Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs. 34 minutes spin bike.

Day 5 – Day off.

Day 6 – 40 minutes spin bike. Insanity Fit Test. Primal Blueprint workout.

Day 7 – Day Off

Day 8 – Day Off (Start of week two and the Detox packets).

Day 9 – 1 mile swim. 2 mile run. 45 minutes spin bike.

Day 10 – 2 mile run. 50 minutes spin bike.

Day 11 – 2 mile run.

Day 12 – 2 mile run.

Day 13 – 2 mile run.

Day 14 – 1 mile swim.

**Days 11 – 14 I felt more tired than usual. The Detox hit me and energy was low. Fell asleep much earlier those nights.

Day 15 – Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit. 45 minutes spin bike.

Day 16 – Body Beast Bulk Legs. 50 minutes spin bike.

Day 17 – 2.25 mile run.

Day 18 – Insanity Pure Cardio.

Day 19 – 2.5 mile run.

Day 20 – 50 minutes spin bike.

Day 21 – 1 mile swim.

Starting Weight: 204.2

Ending Weight: 192.2

Total Weight Lost: 12 pounds on the dot. Two pounds more than predicted.

Closed all three rings on my Apple 3 Watch activity tracker 11 times (so close to 13) while closing the Exercise ring 16 times.

On Day 22 I ran 2.5 miles, swam one mile, and ate the Day 21 foods again. Stepped on the scale the next morning and it read 189.5. Lost 3 pounds over night. So almost 15 pounds in 23 days. Its been awhile since I’ve seen anything in the 180s on the scale. I’m sure you want to see some before and after photos.

Beachbody Ultimate Reset Results Working Out — After

Does it look like I just woke up? Its because I did. We’re lucky I put on pants as it was 7am on Day 22 and I asked Andrea to take my photo in the bathroom after stepping on the scale.

A lot of bloat is gone. Love handles shrunk in half. I look how I want to look at 38 years old. In the right light I could see some abs for the first time in two years.

Energy was up. Slept great. Basically, all the things you experience doing the Ultimate Reset happened again.

I did feel pretty tired on what would have been days 23 and 24. All I could do was run on those days. And I was hungry. While I was eating more of the food on the Ultimate Reset Meal Plan I was feaning for a cheat meal on what would have been Day 25. We had Pizza. It was delicious.

Final Thoughts

Working out while doing the Ultimate Reset is ok if your a bit overweight and in decent shape. There were days where I was burning more calories than I was eating but my body just sucked on some fat. I don’t feel stronger but it was noticeable how much easier it was to move around being 12 pounds lighter. It gave me a jumpstart for the Spring.

Why don’t I eat like this all the time? I feel great every time I do a round. Maybe not full Vegan but 95% of the time would be ideal. Or two weeks of the three week plan a month.

I don’t need a lot of food if I am eating good food. Its interesting how the part of the brain that tells you to eat shuts off after one plate of good food.

I should keep tabs on certain foods. It might be best for me to cut back on dairy and grains. Have a feeling my 38 year old self could do better with a bit less of those.

I do well with a plan. After getting comfortable with the food prep and grocery shopping it occurred to me that a plan telling me what to eat and how to make it works best for me. It takes the “what do you want to eat?” out of every meal. If anything, the plan probably saves me time. Weekly grocery shopping lists like what the Ultimate Reset has should be a requirement for every meal plan.

I should do two rounds a year. I just should. I can feel the inflammation start to disappear in the second week. Doing a tune up in July wouldn’t hurt.

That’s about it. I don’t know what sort of testing I’ll be able to do with the Ultimate Reset again as working out was the only no-no left for me to try.

What continues to be true is that the Ultimate Reset works and doing a round of it every year will be in my best interest.