It's my turn to make the plunge and start my own training/diet log. Now I'll be forced to sit down and organize a plan, and you all can hold me accountable.
I've had a hard time progressing in the gym ever since I moved to Denver a year and a half ago. I immediately lost intensity in the gym, and my problems were exacerbated by a string of injuries. A broken ankle put me out for a few months, and the recovery didn't come as fast as I had hoped. And most recently, I tore something in my shoulder (damn snowboard!), and unlike my youthful days, it hasn't fully healed for the past 3 months, preventing me from lifting heavy on many exercises (bench, snatch, any direct bicep work, dips, wide-grip overhead anything).
I was able to pack on a few pounds after dropping to a low of 160 lbs. So now I'm back up to 175 lbs, but most of the muscle is in my legs. I've lost a lot in my chest and arms from the shoulder injury. And I've hit a plateau on muscle gain without being able to do many big upper body lifts. Also, I'm between 8-10% bodyfat, which is higher than I want to be.
So it's time to change the strategy. The best I've ever felt, in terms of energy, stamina, and overall well-being, was about four years ago, when I was mixing weightlifting with endurance training (400 meter sprints, swimming, biking, etc.). I've noticed a significant drop in my VO2-max, and that really bugs me, even more than the muscle loss. I also want to be extremely lean - even if it means being skinny by weighlifter standards. At 6ft 1in, 175lbs, I'm nowhere near "bulked", but I can't get there without getting over these injuries first.
That said, here are my goals:
Emphasize athleticism by combining compound movements and lifting.
Switch from bodybuilding to functional strength.
Rid myself of some unwanted fat, and purge some toxins.
Remind myself what it's like to work my ass off in pursuit of a goal.
For training, I'm switching to full-body circuit training to kill two birds with one stone (cardiovascular fitness and bodyfat reduction). This will involve compound movements, lighter weights and higher reps. Once or twice a week I'll also throw in a heavy, compound lift to maintain strength (low reps, several set @ 90% 1RM).
Last week I read with interest on Alwyn's and Craig's blogs about the "300 workout". I'm sure many people will laugh when they see that it was associated with Hollywood, but it certainly piqued my interest, and it got some respectable words from people I respect (Alwyn and Craig). So I gave it a try Sunday. What a humbling experience! But it serves as a goal, and one that matches my goals above quite well.
For my diet, I'm dropping my calories to about 2000/day, all in the form of whole foods, to make sure I get enough micronutrients, and to serve a sort-of purging, or detox effect. It will be a relatively low-carb approach (35/20/45 P/C/F), with a once-per-week high-carb refeed day (25/65/10 P/C/F), on mostly quality foods, not a lot of junk (although one of the meals will be include dessert). Protein will come from lean meats, some dairy (cheese and yogurt); carbs from veggies and fruit; oils from extra virgin olive oil, fish, coconut oil, almonds, cashews, avocados and organic butter. No artificial sweeteners. I'd like to get an even split between saturates, monos and polys, keeping a watchful eye on my omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
I'll be preparing my workouts a week in advance, so I can continually tweak my training to match my goals/progress. This week's workouts are already planned (see link to training log below). I don't want to drop below 170 lbs, so if I get there before my desired bodyfat (~5%), then I'll adjust my diet accordingly. If I have time, I'll also post a diet log.
As always, comments and encouragement are welcome! Also, if anyone has similar goals and would like to join me in this venture, it would be great to have some partners!
When you were at your best, what was your weight and bodyfat %?
I'm your height and I'm a little distressed to see my weight going down so much as I get leaner (185 at the moment). You'll easily pass me up, I think. And, soon.
You don't mention a timeframe for the 300 challenge. Are you specifically using it or going to give it a shot periodically to see how you stack up?
I'm going to give the 300 a shot. I'll let you know. Maybe we'll need a 300 Challenge Thread. I really don't see anyone beat that Craig Ballantyne, though!
When you were at your best, what was your weight and bodyfat %?
I'm your height and I'm a little distressed to see my weight going down so much as I get leaner (185 at the moment). You'll easily pass me up, I think. And, soon.
You don't mention a timeframe for the 300 challenge. Are you specifically using it or going to give it a shot periodically to see how you stack up?
I'm going to give the 300 a shot. I'll let you know. Maybe we'll need a 300 Challenge Thread. I really don't see anyone beat that Craig Ballantyne, though!
Thanks, LostDog. At my biggest, I was 190 lbs, 6%bf. But my best was probably 175-180 lbs, 5% bodyfat (I felt the best, and this is a more managable level of fitness for me).
As far as the time frame for the 300 challenge, I suppose it depends on the rules. I was under the impression that each set had to be done without pause, and breaks had to be minimal between sets so you wouldn't exceed 20 minutes. If that's the case, I need somewhere around 2-3 months to get to that level of fitness (hell, just doing 25 straight pullups with correct form is a bitch!). If, however, you can pause during the set, then I could possibly manage that within a couple of weeks. I guess we're making the rules at this point, so why not go for the gold. No pause during the sets. Wanna join me?
25x Pull-up + only got 20
50x Deadlift @ 135# + only got 36
50x Push-up + only 36
50x Box Jump @ 24" box + 50, but only onto an 18" box
50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) + 26 before my arms couldn't hold that bar up.
50x DB Clean and Press @ 35# (DB must touch floor between reps) + 50
25x Pull-up + only 8
50x Deadlift @ 135# + only 20
23 minutes
I suck.
No vomit, but I was shaking and quivering when I finished. 300 kicked my ass.
That's intense. Good work
Better watch them fruits if you want to make your target macros:p
Ha- good call on the fruits. I should have mentioned that I'm ramping down my calories this week, so Monday is my actual target date for getting to the macro and calorie goals. Thus the fruit and beer yesterday
I much prefer stouts, too. But we just had some Sam Adams light in the back of the fridge.
Well, Sam Adams isn't horrible ... at least it's not Michelob Ultra! I have a friend who tries to "low carb" (without truly understanding the principals) and she drinks Mich Ultra because it is marketed as "low carb" (never mind that many other beers have lower carbs/calories and taste better). When I tease her about how crappy it tastes, she always says that it is low carb. I'd rather have ONE decent beer than the 3-4 crappy ones that she puts away!!!
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I must have missed something...you don't eat RAW chicken, right John?
Also - I'm somewhat interested in the 300 workout. But, scared...
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A bottle of Guinness is only 125 cals. And if you get the "draught" version, with the little bobber, it's only 116 per bottle.
Yikes! I had 6 of those the other night.
I'm very interested in following along Johnka.
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