Archives for October 2007

I'm on the final day of my latest rest period and I have to say, I can't wait to get back to lifting.  I spent some time this week thinking about it and I've come to alot of interesting (to me) conclusions.

I started lifting weights about 17 months ago.  I spent over a year working out 5 days a week.  I didn't rest unless I was injured.  I pushed and pushed and then one day, after about 13 months of training, I looked at myself in some pictures that were just about a year old.  What I saw was pretty much the same thing I was seeing every morning in the mirror.  Not much had changed despite spending a year working out.

I started doing alot of reading at places like http://www.bodybuilding.com, http://www.discussbodybuilding.com, http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com, and http://www.global-fitness.com and I realized my mistake.  I thought my body would change in the gym.   What I found out is that my body changes more when I'm resting than when I'm working out.  Rest is an important component of a body transformation program.  It is why everyone tells us to get enough sleep.  At the same time, it is why we are told to take a rest from lifting every 12 weeks or so.

I had always noticed that I would have little aches in my knees or shoulders, but I always took that to mean that I was sore from working out.  When I took my first one week break I quickly realized that the aches were due to working out alright, working out constantly without rest.  The one week off was hard to take because I was afraid of losing the gains (no matter how small) I had made.  When I returned from the one week off I found that things were just the opposite.  I was stronger than when I had left.  I was able to resume my workouts with even heavier weights. My endurance on the treadmill was even better than prior to the break.

This time will be no different.  My aches and pains are gone completely.  All my body needed was a little rest. Interestingly, these aches and pains only become noticeable after 6 to 8 weeks of intense training.  I've concluded that every 8 weeks or so, my body will require a bit of a break and I plan to give it that break. 

This brings about some new expecations from my side.

Today was another cardio only day.  My week of rest is almost up.  I decided to go for a one mile run because I had no time to hit the gym for cardio.  I took out The Stick and massaged my calves to avoid any cramping that usually occurs when I run.  I then set out using the path I'd created on http://www.mapmyrun.com to do my one mile run.

I concentrated on a good, even pace and focused on my breathing.  At the half mile point I could feel the burn in my lungs, but I continued to push.  At 3/4 of a mile I went faster, pushing my legs to move in larger strides.  As I came in for the mile, I decided that I felt good enough to go one more time, so I continued.  I managed to complete both miles in 13:37.  I did not have any problems with my calves, but they did feel tight, so I took The Stick and rubbed down the calves until all tension and tenderness was relieved.

It felt good to get in that run.  Now I just look forward to the results on Sunday.  This has to be the cleanest eathing week I've had.  There have been some issues on certain days where the calories probably should've been higher, but overall a great nutrition week.

Today was a cardio only day.  I am off my lifting until next Sunday as prescribed by the New Rules of Lifting plan.  I did a 5 minute warm up followed by 4 intervals and then a 5 minute cool down.  The intervals consisted of 1 minute at 85% maximum heart rate and then 2 minutes of 80% maximum heart rate, for a 3 minute interval.

I felt the metabolic boost for hours afterwards.  It lasted so long that I started to wonder why I felt the way I felt and then I realized it was due to the cardio I had done hours earlier.

I must admit that it is hard to avoid my weight workout at the present time, but I am determined to stick to the plan.

Here are the pictures I promised yesterday:

Previous front:

October 14, 2007 front:

Previous right side view:

October 14, 2007 right side view:

Previous left side view:

October 14, 2007 left side view:

Previous back view:

October 14, 2007 back view:

Check back to see what my change in cardio and nutrition will do for my body.

I started the New Rules of Lifting workouts on July 29, 2007.  I just finished the Fat Loss II workouts and did my measurements.  Here are the results:

Category	7/29/2007	7/10/2007	+/-
Weight (lbs)	237	234	-3
Body Fat %	22.7	19.6	-3.1
LBM (lbs)	183.2	188.14	+4.94
Chest (in)	44.5	44.5	No change
Left Bicep (in)	13.75	14.5	+0.75
Right Bicep (in)	14	15	+1
Abs (in)	44	42.5	-1.5
Left thigh (in)	25.25	26.5	+1.25
Right thigh (in)	25.25	26.5	+1.25
Left Calf (in)	17.25	17.25	No change
Right Calf (in)	17.25	17.5	+0.25

The amazing thing to me is that I did nothing to directly work my biceps durng the Breakin and Fat Loss II workouts (the two workouts I completed during this time period) and yet my biceps grew more than ever before.  I can also state that the “fat loss” workout definitely torched fat off my body, dropping 3.1% over the time period and losing 1.5 inches in my stomach area.  Pictures to follow later today.