I am a 35 year old male, 5'7". I have always loved to eat, everyone told me it would catch up to me eventually. Well, it did. My weight had ballooned to 225 over the last 12 years since graduating from college and starting work in the real world. I estimated my body fat to be around 34%. I remember one morning in particular late last December... I bent down to tie my shoes and I noticed that I had to hold my breath to do it. WTF? That just isn't right. I finally admitted to myself that I wasn't the ripped, tanned, six-pack havin' specimen I was in college. Hell, I wasn't even remotely fit, I was a supersized McFatty.
So I started scouring the interwebs. I stumbled upon a web page "What does 200 calories look like" http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-20...-look-like.htm , and the lightbulb went on. I didn't have to spend an hour on the treadmill every day to lose weight, I just had to have some clue as to the amount of crap I was shoveling down my pie hole. Suddenly the problem changed from "I hate cardio and that's the only way I'm going to get in shape" to "I love to eat, but maybe eating a little less won't be so bad".
I read more and more about nutrition, strength training and cardio, and how they work together to burn away all that flabby flab. I started putting together a plan. I was going to shoot for about 3 lbs a week for as long as I could take it. 1500 cal deficit a day, which put me around 1400 calories total intake. I started with keeping the protein at somewhere between .75g and 1g per lb of bodyweight, and let the fat and carbs fall into something like a 30c/40p/30f ratio. I tracked everything I ate on The Daily Plate. I started a little half assed, but once the results started showing, my accuracy improved along with my motivation.
Since I had a Bowflex (*gasp* I know, I know), I bought Ellington Darden's "Bowflex Body Plan" and started my way through the "HIT" like workouts per the book. It was kinda different from stuff I'd dabbled with in the past, so I enjoyed the "1 set to failure". I could get an entire full body workout done in around 30 or 40 minutes, and I could do it right in my house.
I was seeing good results (I had A LOT of fat to lose), but I knew those were mostly due to me sticking to a clean, high protien, low calorie diet. I averaged about 1450 cal/day for the first 8 weeks, and bumped up to around 1600/day for the next 4. I had lost about 35lbs in 12 weeks, and felt like my strength had improved significantly. However, I felt like the workouts were getting a little stale. 1 set of 12 of the same 10 or 12 exercises (lots of them isolation movements) can only stay interesting for so long. I needed something new to keep the drive alive!
Enter JP Fitness, which I stumbled on in late March and just couldn't get enough! I devoured the Fat Loss Troubleshoot, Nutrition, Training and NROL forums. JP turned me on to many other sites that I've made a habit of keeping up with on a regular basis. So, thanks to the proffessionals Leigh, Alan, Coach Hale, Tom, Coach Hayle (I'm sure I've forgotton someone!) and all of you regulars who's consistently thoughtful, enlightening, informational, encouraging and often entertaining posts have surely made a huge difference for lots of other people.
I made the plunge and bought a GoWear Fit for myself and my beautiful wife (who is right there with me on this journey into welness). You see, I'm an engineer, and I absolutely LOVE data. I have been using all kind of spreadsheets with every equation I could find regarding fat loss, calorie burn, body composition, you name it. The one data point that I just could not nail down was the calorie burn. Sure I could estimate with any number of formulas, but it still felt incomplete. The GoWear fit supplied me with that last data point. I know it is probably only accurate within +/- 15%, but at least I could see the changes from day to day based on my activity. Not to mention, the food tracking system is really quite nice, it took a while for my wife to convince me to use it (I started with the nutritional assessment while I still tracked on my beloved The Daily Plate). Once I switched over, I never looked back. The "I ate the same thing as yesterday" button is just awesome.
I also bought the New Rules book and boy am I glad I did! The NROL workouts were SOOOOOO different from anything I've ever done. I don't think I had done a barbell squat or deadlift since high school (I'm so ashamed!). I loved the book so much, I found a 300lb olympic weight set with a real nice New York Barbell rack on Cragslist for $250, SCORE!. Pair that up with a set of SelecTech dumbbells and I had a complete, if somewhat cramped home gym.
My wife and I did the Break In workouts 3 times a week for 3 weeks, and we absolutely loved them. She had been dabbling with some different strength training programs since the beggining of the year, so the combo movements weren't quite as much of a shock to her system as it was mine. I just finished Fat Loss I and am a few workouts in to Fat Loss II. Call me crazy, but I love the BSS with overhead press! (well, I'm cussing all the way thru them, but I love them when they're done!)
Fast forward to today, 6/21/09. I'm 170lbs and somewhere around 13% bodyfat, and feel better than I've felt since High School. I'm fairly certain I haven't put on much lean mass since I've been carrying a calorie deficit the whole time, but by golly I've got a six-pack again!I've been taking body measurements, including skinfolds, since mid January. I know the calipers aren't perfect, but seeing a noticable change in the skinfold measurements is a big motivator for me.
I was originally aiming for 180lbs and 12% bodyfat, but that included some seriously delusional expectations regarding lean mass gain. I've since adjusted my goals twice and settled on an even 165lbs and ~10% bodyfat (as best as I can estimate it). That would put me very close to the condition I was in right after graduating High School. You see, I have this picture of my sister and I the summer after we graduated when I was pretty ripped. It has been a prime motivator for me (no offense, Mahler!). It seemed like an impossibility 6 months ago, but here I am, 3 or 4 weeks from being back in that picture!
I'm sorry for the novel, I told myself I was going to keep this brief, but I got carried away. If you've read this far, thanks for sticking with me! I hope this might be even slightly inspirational for someone out there who may be where I was 6 months ago -- Unhappy with their current condition, but afraid to get started. It's always tough to get started, but if you put in the effort, results will come!
Phase 1 Goals:
By 8/1/09, 7 months
Weight: 165 lbs
Waist: 33"
Bodyfat: 10%
Assuming my bodyfat measurements are close, going from 34% to 10%:
62 lbs of fat lost, 2lbs of lean mass gained
Phase 2 Goals:
By 12/31/09, 5 more months
Weight: ~175lbs
Waist: 33"
Bodyfat: 11%-12%
8 lbs lean mass gained with 2 or 3 lbs of fat along for the ride
Squat: 315 lbs
Deadlift: 325 lbs
Bench: 250 lbs
I love data sooooooooo much, and I love the fact that the GoWear Fit and it's application have a plethora of data that can easily be exported into Excel. I've created a few charts that I find quite useful in tracking my progress. Excel has a nice autopublish feature that will automagically save your charts as gif's whenever you save your spreadsheet. I use SyncBack to upload the new gif's every morning. Anyhow, I thought I'd share them, especially for those of you thinking about getting a GWF.
Most of the charts below show my actual weight vs. my goal weight on the right hand axis. The first chart shows my daily calorie burn according to the GWF, along with my daily caloric intake, which I am extremely careful about (weighing everything to the gram). I also plot my daily deficit, which is really the number I'm most interested in. I include my defecit goal, as well as 7 day moving averages for calories in, out and deficit so I can keep an eye on trends.
The second chart is my daily hours of Activity, Lying Down and Sleep as defined by the GWF. I wanted to have a quick glance at my quantity and quality of sleep.
The third and fourth charts plot my macro nutrient breakdown in both grams and percent. I like the fact that the GWF tracks alcohol separately, so I can see how little I'm drinking these days! I used to polish off 4 or 6 beers every evening!
The last chart is the only one that uses data not collected from the GWF or it's application. You will find my circumference measurements in inches, my skinfold caliper measurements in mm, and both my bodyfat as estimated by my calculations, and as determined by the standard 3 location skinfold calculations.
Ok, ok, I know this is a Training Log! So I'll get to the Log part...
I have already completed Fat Loss I, and am a few workouts in to Fat Loss II.
Sunday 6/21/09
NROL Fat Loss II
Workout A2
Actually managed to finish all 12 of each BSS + OH, they are absolutely killer. I'm getting better at the lower body Russian Twists, and was able to get 10 each side on all 3 sets. More to come!
Superset 1
135 x 10 x 3 - Front squat
90 x 10 x 3 - Wide grip seated row
Superset 2
85 x 10 x 3 - Barbell push press
0 x 15 x 3 - Supine hip extension w/ leg curl
Superset 3
75 x 10 x 3 - Dynamic lunge
0 x 15 x 3 - Upper body russian twist
Shifting down to 10 reps definitely made the workout seem easier, even with the rather short 45 second rest between sets. The short rest was part of the reason I didn't bump the weights up too much. I'll have to push harder next time.
Definitely getting more comfortable with the front squat. I still have to use the crossed arm method, but resting the bar on my delts feels a little more natural, and I don't feel like I have to concentrate as much on holding the bar.
I'm working on NROL Fat Loss II too. Is your wife working on this too? If so, I'd enjoy reading her log. I like to compare my weights to other women's ... not that your log won't be enjoyable too. (How do you like those Bulgarian Split Squats with Overhead Lunges? )
I'm working on NROL Fat Loss II too. Is your wife working on this too? If so, I'd enjoy reading her log. I like to compare my weights to other women's ... not that your log won't be enjoyable too. (How do you like those Bulgarian Split Squats with Overhead Lunges? )
My wife actually started NRoL for Women after we finished the break in together. She just finished Stage 1 yesterday and is taking her week off. I doubt she'll start her own training log, so I'll post some of her numbers that are comparable to Fat Loss II.
I love/hate those bss w/ohp. They are probably the hardest exercise I've ever done. Nothing like the feeling of finishing the last rep on the last set tho.
Superset 1
155 x 10 x 3 - Snatch grip deadlift
10 x 10 x 3 - T push up
Superset 2
12 x 10 x 3 - Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead press (ugh)
0 x 8, 6, 5 - Pull Up
Superset 3
95 x 12 x 3 - Romanian deadlift w/ row
0 x 10, 7, 7 - Lower russian twist
So much for lacking intensity. Tonite whooped my ass. I was all proud of myself being able to do 15 pull ups while fresh. Well, that didn't translate in to any more than 8, 6 and 5 while supersetted with the bulgarian split squats.
I knew I was whooped when I had nothing left in the tank for the russian twists. I even had to drop back to 1 minute between sets for the last superset.
I hope she starts a log. I finished NROL4W (twice!). I haven't increased my weights all that much since my first go-round last summer. I am consistent though. That's my real strength.
I see you're using weights for your t-pushups. Nice!
Weighed in at an even 169 lbs this morning. Getting very close to the goal!
I've actually been skipping dinner more often lately. The odd thing is, I'm not hungry if I'm busy. I've averaged about 1900 calories over the last 7 days, which works out to around a 1000 calorie daily defecit.
Once I hit my goal of 165, the plan is to eat as close to what my GoWear Fit says is maintenance for 3 straight weeks. Then see what my weight did during that time. Should be interesting!
Superset 1
145 x 10 x 3 - Front squat
95 x 10 x 3 - Wide grip seated row
Superset 2
85 x 10 x 3 - Barbell push press
0 x 15 x 3 - Supine hip extension w/ leg curl
Superset 3
75 x 10 x 3 - Dynamic lunge
5 x 15 x 3 - Upper body russian twist
Heart rate at end - 120 bpm
I've decided I now hate my bowflex. I only use it for the pulldowns or rows, but the resistance curve on those rods is just wierd as hell. For the wide grip row, it feels like nothing to get it 5" from my chest, and the last 5" are impossible.
I weighed 167.4 lbs this morning. I did eat real light yestersday, having skipped my 10am snack, I only ended up around 1600 calories. I was a little hungry this morning, but breakfast is always my biggest meal of the day.
I still felt great for the workout, even after a 3 mile walk with my wife and dogs this morning. Now for some serious NEAT, time to do mulch.
Superset 1
165 x 10 x 3 - Snatch grip deadlift
10 x 10 x 3 - T push up
Superset 2
12 x 10 x 3 - Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead press
110 x 10 x 3 - Underhand-grip pulldown (on bowflex)
Superset 3
95 x 12 x 3 - Romanian deadlift w/ row
0 x 10 x 3 - Lower russian twist
Had a much easier time keeping the rest periods to the 45 seconds today. I did need an extra minute to compose myself before starting the romanian deadlift w/ row.
Now its back to the yard to continue where I left off yesterday.
Superset 1
155 x 8 x 3 - Front squat
105 x 8 x 3 - Wide grip seated row
Superset 2
90 x 8 x 3 - Barbell push press
0 x 18 x 3 - Supine hip extension w/ leg curl
Superset 3
85 x 8 x 3 - Dynamic lunge
12 x 8 x 3 - Upper body russian twist
Didn't go up much on the weights for the last A workout. The lunges and push press were still pretty tough to get the last reps of the last set. I'm gonna miss this workout!
I managed to survive our annual 4th of July cookout without blowing it, even managed to pull of a pretty big deficit! I stuck to the healthy stuff and didn't over-do it on anything. Not to mention the fact that I was moving all day long between the setting up and cooking.
Last Sunday's workout closed out Fat Loss II. I'll start III this coming Saturday. I'm not going to miss those BSS+OHP, but it looks like the Giant Sets in FL III will more than make up for any lack of brutality.
Starting this past Monday, I've been trying to eat a little closer to maintenance, which I believe is somewhere around 2800kcal for an average which would be fairly inactive at work but still include our 3 mile walk with the dogs. I can't believe I'm having trouble eating enough, I never would have imagined this in a million years. I've just felt a little overfull and bloated. I'm guessing my body will adjust to the extra 500-700kcal I'm throwing at it each day, so I'll stick to it and see what happens.
Weighed in at 165 this morning, which was my long term goal. W00t! I'm going to stick with the 500kcal daily deficit for another week before shifting up to full on maintenance.
I've been having some fun with putting together my maintenance meal plans. I'm surprised how hard it is to get up to 2800kcal!
After Workout 305cal, 34g protein, 36g carb, 4g fat
160g Skim Milk
1 cup lowfat organic yogurt
1 scoops Whey
Supper 310cal, 48g protein, 22g carb, 4g fat
160g-224g Lean Meat (Tuna, Salmon, Mahi Mahi, Cod, Flounder, or chicken breast)
224g some green veggie (broccoli, brussels, spinach, asparagus) Total
2770cal, 211g protein (29%), 281g carb(38%), 105g fat(33%)
This is pretty similar to what I've been eating for the last 6 months, just a little more of everything. I tried to front load the calories to breakfast as much as possible. Non-workout days will probably be around 300kcal lower because I'll skip the AWO shake.
I still plan on eating as close to maintenance as possible for 4 weeks. That will cover all of Fat Loss III, plus a week off. I will start up Hypertrophy I and depending on how the maintenance worked out, bump up to a slight surplus.
Giant Set 1
165 x 12,12,10,10 - Deadlift (mixed grip)
0 x 12,10,10,10 - Explosive push up (last set was not very explosive)
15 x 12,10,10,10 - Bulgarian split squat
35 x 12,10,10,10 - Two point dumbbell row
Giant Set 2
85 x 20 x 2 - Deadlift off box
15 x 20 x 2 - Walking lunge with side bend (did dynamic lunges instead)
30 x 20 x 2 - Dumbbell bench press
50 x 20 x 2 - Seated row (bowflex)
0 x 10 x 2 - Hanging leg raise
O M G. I want my fat loss II B workout back. I almost lost my breakfast during that first giant set. I tried the best I could to maintain the minuscule rest periods. I had to substitue a normal dynamic lunge with side bend for the walking lunge since I don't have enough room to walk around.
I had to take about 4 minutes before starting the second giant set, and the weights I used seem pitifully low, but I don't know that I could have done much more. By around the 15th deadlift off the box I thought I was going to die!
That is one helluva workout. I'm sitting here about 20 minutes after finishing and I'm just now feeling a little normal. Looking forward to the B!
P.S. After seeing this "foam rolling" listed in a lot of peoples logs for warmups and such, I finally did some studying on it. I finally got myself a roller, I really like it. I can't believe I hadn't caught on sooner!
Giant Set 1
135 x 10,10,8, 115 x 10 - Front Squat
100 x 10,10,10,10 - Underhand grip lat pulldown (bowflex)
15 x 10,10,10,10 - Step up
35 x 10,10, 30 x 10,10 - Dumbbell push press
Giant Set 2
115 x 20 x 2 - Squat
60 x 20 x 2 - Wide grip lat pulldown (bowflex)
10 x 20 x 2 - Step up
15 x 20 x 2 - Dumbbell shoulder press
0 x 15 x 2 - Swiss ball crunch
I love this workout. The front squats were a little rough, as I tried the correct grip (rolled back on the fingers, elbows out front) for the first time. I'd been using the crossed arm technique because of the inflexibility in my wrists. After reading that most people get used to the "correct" grip over time, I thought I'd suck it up and give it a go! Things went great until the 3rd set, when I was all sweaty, and the bar started sliding all over the place! Gotta chalk up them delts, I suppose, or at least wear some sleeves for that workout. My hands/wrists felt fine after a while, so I'm going to continue using that grip.
The set of 20 back squats was awesome. I swear, Cosgrove must have known how daunting these giant sets are, and made the second one only 2 sets to keep you motivated. Just knowing that second giant set is only 2 really makes these workouts enjoyable.
I got an invite to do some mountain biking down at the national white water center in charlotte, they even had a bike for me to borrow, so I couldn't pass that up! I hadn't been on a mt. bike in 10 years, AND I haven't done any serious cardio at all during this 6 month journey into fitness. So, I was a little worried that I'd be holding the guys up.
WRONG! These NROL workouts must be doing something, because I felt like a superstar out there. Technical climbs? No problem. Long grinding uphills? No problem. I couldn't believe how good my stamina was. I ended up doing each loop without stopping at all until the end, and just waited for everyone else to catch up. I'm normally not one to brag, really, I am, but damn I felt good out there. Thanks Lou and Alwyn!
Engineering a Leaner Me
Linear Mode
