Archives for 2008

While at the gym today I saw a guy that I haven't seen in months.  He walked up to me and said “Dude, you are starting to get bulked up” so I asked him what he meant.  He says “Your shoulders are bigger and so are your arms, nice work!”  It made me feel validated.

I get alot of grief online and elsewhere because I follow the New Rules of Lifting training program.  People get on my case because they say that a full body split routine like that can't possibly put on mass, etc.  Well, last week I began thinking about changing my routine to a 3 day a week split that would have me training my body parts one time per week.  The proposed plan:

Sunday
Back/Biceps/Forearms

Deadlifts 3 sets
Lat pull downs 2 sets
V bar pull downs 2 sets
DB rows (1 arm) 2 sets
BB bicep curls 3 sets
Alt DB curls 3 sets
BB wrist curls 1 set
DB wrist curls 1 set

Tuesday
Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

BB Bench Press 3 sets
Decline DB bench press 3 sets
BB Military press 3 sets
DB side laterals 2 sets
Alt DB Front raises 2 sets
BB upright rows 2 sets
Close grip bench press 2 sets
Triceps push down 2 sets

Thursday
Legs/Calves

Squats 3 sets
Stiff leg deadlifts 2 sets
Standing calf raise 3 sets
Seated calf raise 3 sets

I wanted some advice so I posted this routine for a critique to one of my favorite body building sites.  The response I got back (from a respected member) really got me thinking.  I mentioned that this program was based off the Max-OT system of training.  This gentleman said:

“I'm not a huge fan of Max-OT training.. From what I've seen it usually goes one of two ways…. slight mass gains, usually from beginners or injury.. usually some type of shoulder due to the constant going to failure.

Regarding the routine… I'm not sure how well your muscular development is, but keep in mind, frequency is key with mass.. I don't think any given rep range followed for any period of time is going to induce a good hypertrophy effect. The muscle has to be continuously stimulated and damaged and when only using a particular rep range it's far too easy to stall on lifts and not continue with a solid progressive load.. Beginners respond well to maxot simply because they respond well to almost any program..

IMO.. Frequency, Progressive load, TUT and of course diet are 4 of the most important thing with any routine regarding hypertrophy.. leave on out and your progress may not stagnate but certainly will slow..

Again, without knowing your current muscular development makes it unclear as to how much the added isolations are going to help.. I certainly don't think anyone needs to work the calfs with more than one exercises.. and regarding delts.. unless you already have incredible delt development, a simple over head pressing lift will work them fine.. Same with pecs… the back is a little different simply due to the size and variety of muscles in the back.

My advice would be to train your body 3-4 times weekly, using a fullbody or upper/lower split with various rep ranges every two to three weeks. You're wanting to achieve muscle adaption. After about 48 hours the muscles start to un-adapt before being trained again.. In a nut shell, you're when muscles are trained once every week, their spending 5 or those seven days in a semi-anti-catabolic state.. “recovery”.. which is not at all necessary.. “

This got me to thinking about my past experience with lifting.  I would lift 5 days a week, working a different body part each day.  Invariably, something would get injured.  I'd tweak my neck or I'd pull something in my legs and that would slow my ability to lift.  This was something that I accepted as just part of lifting weights.  I never considered that the method I was using might be causing it. 

When I went to the New Rules of Lifting workouts all of this went away.  In addition, I managed to make better gains and I think alot of that was due to the ability to be consistent with my workouts due to a lack of injuries.  This is what kept me at it for so long.

So after considering all the facts, I decided what I needed to do was up the frequency of my training (as mentioned in the response I got above).  It simply makes sense to me to stick with the program that has been giving me good results.  At the same time, the routine that has been giving me results fits all the criteria for a great plan–continual changes to reps and sets to avoid adaptation and compound movements for maximum development of muscle. 

If I've learned nothing else during the past 112 days it is that doing what works for you is the best course of action that can be followed.  This is especially true of a lifting routine that is well-designed.  I've also learned that the way to build more muscle is to just continue working hard in the gym, but eating when not in the gym.  Eating enough is the key to growing larger.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 2/10/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	LC	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	AM
Abs *	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	194 oz	220 oz	194 oz	220 oz	220 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals	2450	2946	2421	2409	2417
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ratios (C/P/F)	38/42/20	48/39/13	42/42/16	41/42/17	30/39/21
Total Completed	15	15	14	15	15
Total Possible	15	15	15	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	118	133	147	162	177
Mission 2 Total Possible	120	135	150	165	180
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Log:

	Mission 2:  Day 12 of 100
	Meal/Training Plan:  Real-time accountability
	Day 12: February 14, 2008
5:30 a.m.	Meal 1:  Protein shake and oatmeal  and 3 glasses of water
5:30 a.m.	Supplements:  Animal Pak, Glucosamine Chondroiten, calcium, chromium, glutamine, BCAAs
6:00 a.m.	Workout: HIIT Cardio and 6 glasses of water
6:30 a.m.	Supplements: Protein shake, BCAAs, glutamine
8:30 a.m.	Meal 2:  Chicken breast, oatmeal, large salad and 3 glasses of water
11:30 a.m.	Meal 3:  Chicken breast, large salad, oatmeal and large salad and 3 glasses of water
2:30 p.m.	Meal 4:  Chicken breast and large salad, 10 baby carrots and 3 glasses of water
5:30 p.m.	Meal 5: Chicken breast and large salad, cucumber and 3 glasses of water
7:30 p.m.	Meal 6:  Chicken breast, asparagus and 3 glasses of water
8:30 p.m.	Supplements:  Casein protein shake, glutamine, calcium and 3 glasses of water

Workout Log:

Thursday, 2/14/2008	A5
Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
BB Bent over row	155 x 12	155 x 12	155 x 12	155 x 11
BB Incline Bench Press	150 x 10	150 x 10	150 x 10	150 x 10
Lat pull down	140 x 12	140 x 12	140 x 12	140 x 12
Barbell Push Press	120 x 10	120 x 12	120 x 12	120 x 12
Dip	12	12	12	12
DB Clean	45 x 12	45 x 12	45 x 12	45 x 12
Swiss ball crunch	25	25	25

	Workout Log:
	FYA Level 1 workouts

I pushed extremely hard during my workout today because I always want to improve upon my last workout.  Today was no exception.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, so when you hit the gym, give it your all.  Push yourself to the limit.  You will see results faster than you think possible.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Everyone embarking on a physique transformation hits a turning point at some point in time.  I believe that for me the turning point in my transformation so far has been my planning for this current mission.  I have decided to take things to a higher level and I am making it happen daily.  Because of those decisions made during the planning of this mission I can already see some additional physique changes just 11 days into the second mission.

I've always been skeptical of the ability of any one human being to change their body in such a short period of time, but I can't be skeptical anymore.  It is amazing how hard work during your workouts, finding the sweet spot in your nutrition and just plain grit can change your body in such a tremendous way.  That's another turning point for me.

I believe that when I've achieved the body I want, I will look back and be able to see each turning point very clearly.  They will be major milestones in my path towards success.  It took me a long time to get out of shape, so it is going to take a while to get back into shape.  In the end, I'm not looking for overnight success, I am looking for lasting success.  I am building a lifelong foundation that will carry me through to the end of my life.

(NOTE:  Today I start a new feature called “Word of the Day”)

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 2/10/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	LC	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	AM
Abs *	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	194 oz	220 oz	194 oz	220 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals	2450	2946	2421	2409
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ratios (C/P/F)	38/42/20	48/39/13	42/42/16	41/42/17
Total Completed	15	15	14	15
Total Possible	15	15	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	118	133	147	162
Mission 2 Total Possible	120	135	150	165
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Log:

	Mission 2:  Day 11 of 100
	Meal/Training Plan:  Real-time accountability
	Day 11: February 13, 2008
5:30 a.m.	Meal 1:  Protein shake and oatmeal  and 3 glasses of water
5:30 a.m.	Supplements:  Animal Pak, Glucosamine Chondroiten, calcium, chromium, glutamine, BCAAs
6:00 a.m.	Workout: HIIT Cardio and 6 glasses of water
6:30 a.m.	Supplements: Protein shake, BCAAs, glutamine
8:30 a.m.	Meal 2:  Chicken breast, oatmeal, 10 baby carrots and 3 glasses of water
11:30 a.m.	Meal 3:  Chicken breast, 10 baby carrots, oatmeal and large salad and 3 glasses of water
2:30 p.m.	Meal 4:  Chicken breast and large salad and 3 glasses of water
5:30 p.m.	Meal 5: Chicken breast and large salad and 3 glasses of water
7:30 p.m.	Meal 6:  Chicken breast, cabbage, carrots, large salad and 3 glasses of water
8:30 p.m.	Supplements:  Casein protein shake, glutamine, calcium and 3 glasses of water

Workout Log:

	Workout Log:
	HIIT Cardio	30 minutes
	Stretching	15 minutes

Word for the Day:

The word for the day is intensity.  Intensity is something that pushes me through to the next day.  It is something that I live for when I'm at the gym.  Intensity is the fuel that drives my transformation.  Without it, I'm done.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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One of the more common things people ask me when they first start working out is how to increase the intensity of their lifting.  The answer is multi-faceted and deserves a careful examination because the intensity of your workouts will produce results in a proportionate fashion.

First you will need an understanding of periodization.  This is simply the way you organize your workout.  This involves both the daily workouts you do and how they are organized as well as the schedule you use for your workouts.

The idea is to slowly increase the difficulty of your training.  You push your body to its upper limits and then you take a step back and let it catch up with you.  This is a principle I learned from Optimum Anabolics by Jeff Anderson.  You actually gain more muscle in the easier weeks because your body is continuing to adapt to the heavier weeks.  The fact is that as you push your body it starts to expect it.  It will then even respond to lighter weights in the same manner as heavier weights, but only for a short period of time.

One way to push your body to the limit is to use volume loading.  This can be as simple as just increasing by 1 the number of sets you do each week.  You have to listen to your body carefully.  You are going to be pushing it harder and harder as you add sets.  Should you feel fatigued, you'd back down and take it easier to allow your body to catch up.

The next way to push your body to the limit is to use frequency loading.  If you wanted to rotate your frequency through a series of harder and harder frequencies, you'd start out during week 1 doing 2 workouts a week.  In each subsequent week you'd add a workout.  Finally, you would back down and let your body catch up when you had hit 5 to 7 workouts in a week.

The basic measurement of frequency is the number of training sessions for a given muscle group or lift per unit of time (ie. a week, a month, etc.).  Really, the key to frequency is recovery time.  I personally recover pretty fast.  I am generally fully recovered in 48 hours.  I've been following a 3 day a week training program where I cycle through my two workouts as follows:

Sunday — Workout A
Tuesday — Workout B
Thursday — Workout A
Sunday — Workout B
Tuesday — Workout A
Thursday — Workout B

That is giving me 96 hours of rest between workouts.  What I've discovered is I am fully recovered on Tuesday from the workout I did on Sunday.  This wasn't always the case for me.  However, in the interest of listening to my body, this is why I'm increasing my frequency.  My body is ready to be pushed harder and so I'm listening to it.  I am upping my frequency to 4 workouts a week. 

The premise behind upping my frequency is that I am going to push my muscles harder and they will grow more.  I will need to pay extra special attention to my body's need for rest during this time period.  However, by upping the frequency and using a volume loading scheme (as explained above) I am expecting even greater gains moving forward.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 2/10/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	LC	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	AM
Abs *	N/A for	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	194 oz	220 oz	194 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals	2450	2946	2421
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ratios (C/P/F)	38/42/20	48/39/13	42/42/16
Total Completed	15	15	14
Total Possible	15	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	118	133	147
Mission 2 Total Possible	120	135	150
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

My M4 was late by 30 minutes so I gave myself a red mark for that meal.  All other areas went well.

I had asked a question on the Burn the Fat Inner Circle forum about the analysis of my results from the past 2 weeks.  I got an answer from Tom Venuto himself.  His advice was to see what results I produce this week.  If my fat percentage increases again I am to cut my calories.  Thus, my plan is to cut my calories by 5% each day if I do gain fat this week (for the second week in a row).

Nutrition Log:

	Mission 2:  Day 9 of 100
	Meal/Training Plan:  Real-time accountability
	Day 9: February 11, 2008
5:30 a.m.	Meal 1:  Protein shake and oatmeal (x2 portion) and 3 glasses of water
5:30 a.m.	Supplements:  Animal Pak, Glucosamine Chondroiten, calcium, chromium, glutamine, BCAAs
6:00 a.m.	Workout: Lifting and 6 glasses of water
6:30 a.m.	Supplements: Protein shake, BCAAs, glutamine
8:30 a.m.	Meal 2:  Chicken breast, oatmeal, 10 baby carrots and 3 glasses of water
11:30 a.m.	Meal 3:  Chicken breast, 10 baby carrots, oatmeal and large salad and 3 glasses of water
2:30 p.m.	Meal 4:  Chicken breast (1-1/2), 15 baby carrots, oatmeal and large salad and 3 glasses of water
5:30 p.m.	Meal 5: Chicken breast, 10 baby carrots, large salad and 3 glasses of water
7:30 p.m.	Meal 6:  Chicken breast, brocolli, large salad and 3 glasses of water
8:30 p.m.	Supplements:  Casein protein shake, glutamine, calcium and 3 glasses of water

Workout Log:

Tuesday, 2/12/2008	B4
Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5
Heels-raised back squat, 1-1/4	225 x 8	225 x 8	225 x 8	225 x 8	225 x 8
Bulgarian split deadlift	65 x 8	65 x 8	65 x 8	65 x 10	65 x 10
Split good morning	65 x 8	65 x 8	65 x 10	65 x 11	65 x 12
Woodchop	20	20	20

This was a fantastic workout today. I am still getting the feel for both the Bulgarian split deadlift and the Split good morning, so I have a much lower weight on those than I'm sure I'm capable of. 

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today is a high carb day and my calories are at maintenance.  I find it unbelieveable how much food I have to take in.  It takes alot to get to 3050 calories in a day!

I've posted some questions on the internet at sites that I trust the feedback and have been rethinking my plan to do my bulk with Max-OT.  I will probably stick with the New Rules of Lifting because the program is scientifically sound.  It has periodization and frequency issues built in.  It is pretty much a no-brainer and I like that about it.  I've gotten decent results with a caloric deficit and using that program and can only imagine what my results will be when I'm feeding myself enough.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, it is all about fixing the metabolism at this point.  Tom Venuto mentions upping your calories for a week as a means for fixing your metabolism and preparing it to dive back into fat burning (Information: Super Lean Secrets of Achieving Very Low Body Fat, Excerpt #1).  Honestly, I'm sick of the deficit.  I'm ready to increase my calories, so I'm slowly bringing them back up to the maintenance level each day.  The only day I “jump” high is on the high carb day (refeed) in the cycle.  That day is meant to be a maintenance calories day.

Now my newest challenge is the question “How important is the macronutrient ratio?”  Obviously, it is important, but is it important enough that you should hit it exactly?  Is it ok to aim for 55/35/10 and hit 50/40/10?  These are the answers I'm now looking for.  I feel like finding those answers will help me achieve the goals I have.

Accountability Log:

Week Begins 2/10/2008
	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Cycle spot	LC	HC	LC	LC	LC	HC	LC
M1 *	5:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	3:30 a.m.	5:30 a.m.
M2 *	8:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	6:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.
M3 *	11:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	11:30 a.m.
M4 *	2:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	12:30 p.m.	2:30 p.m.
M5 *	5:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.
M6 *	7:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	6:30 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Weights *	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	Lift	N/A	N/A
Cardio *	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	N/A	AM	AM
Abs *	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A	FYA	FYA	N/A
Water *	194 oz
Post-workout nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pre-sleep nutrition *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vitamins/Supplements *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accountability *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cals	2450	2946
Cals within 5% (+/-) *	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ratios (C/P/F)	38/42/20	48/39/13
Total Completed	15	15
Total Possible	15	15
Mission 2 Total Complete	118	133
Mission 2 Total Possible	120	135
* = Counts towards total
Success!
Failed
Not Counted!

Nutrition Log:

	Mission 2:  Day 9 of 100
	Meal/Training Plan:  Real-time accountability
	Day 9: February 11, 2008
5:30 a.m.	Meal 1:  Protein shake and oatmeal (x2 portion) and 3 glasses of water
5:30 a.m.	Supplements:  Animal Pak, Glucosamine Chondroiten, calcium, chromium, glutamine, BCAAs
6:00 a.m.	Workout: Max-OT Cardio and 6 glasses of water
6:30 a.m.	Supplements: Protein shake, BCAAs, glutamine
8:30 a.m.	Meal 2:  Chicken breast, oatmeal (x2 portion), 10 baby carrots and 3 glasses of water
11:30 a.m.	Meal 3:  Chicken breast, 10 baby carrots, oatmeal (x2 portion) and large salad and 3 glasses of water
2:30 p.m.	Meal 4:  Chicken breast (1-1/2), 15 baby carrots, oatmeal (x2 portion) and large salad and 3 glasses of water
5:30 p.m.	Meal 5: Chicken breast, 10 baby carrots, oatmeal (x2 portion), large salad and 3 glasses of water
7:30 p.m.	Meal 6:  Lean beef, brocolli, large salad and 3 glasses of water
8:30 p.m.	Supplements:  Casein protein shake, glutamine, calcium and 3 glasses of water

Workout log:

	Workout Log:
	Max-OT Cardio	1.9 miles in 16 mins
	FYA Level 1 workout

One thing I do plan to change is the frequency of my lifting. I will now move to a 4 day plan of lifting.  I also think I'm going to join Lilla in the 3 days of cardio a week.  Something tells me that in this case, less is more. 

I did my push up video yesterday, but have not had the time to get it onto the computer.  I will take care of that tomorrow.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Plateaus – Why Your Fat Loss Stops

Today I'm posting an excerpt from one of two recent teleseminars featuring fat loss excerpt Tom Venuto. Tom had them transcribed and turned into ebooks and MP3 audios that he's actually giving away for free as part of a 3 day special promotion ending February 14th. Go to www.Burnthefat.com for more information on that.

I wanted to share this excerpt from the seminar with you in particular (I got permission from Tom to reprint this). I think you’ll find it fascinating because it explains the real reasons why people hit fat loss plateaus. It happens especially when you get down to that “last 10 lbs” or when you drop a lot of weight, and you hit the “good” body fat category, but you’re an “overachiever” and you still want to get even leaner… all the way to “ripped”, or at least lean enough to see your abs.

Breaking through plateaus is a challenge, but there IS something you can do about them… read on and see what Tom says about it.

EXCERPT FROM THE “SUPER LEAN” SEMINAR

QUESTION: “Our first question says, “Tom, I know you often say that to get to the point to be able to see your abs, you need to get to single-digit body fat. What if I hit a plateau at about 12% body fat? What do I need to do to break the plateau and get my fat% down to single digits? Should I do more cardio, more weight-training, manipulate my diet somehow?”

ANSWER: “You could do any of the above. You could manipulate your calories, change type of cardio, add cardio duration or frequency. You could increase cardio intensity. You could change your weight-training. You shouldn’t limit yourself.

One of the problems I see with quite a few programs is that they’re too dogmatic. If you hit a plateau, the person with the most flexibility in their approach is the person who’s going to be most likely to get through that plateau.

The first thing though is to understand what a plateau really is. This is important, because if you were losing weight, but now you’re not, there’s only one thing that that could mean; you were in a calorie deficit but you’re no longer in a calorie deficit.

You may be wondering why that happens.

There are four primary reasons you hit a plateau:

The first reason you hit a plateau is because your metabolism decreases. While this does not completely stop fat loss, it does slow down fat loss. If you’ve been cutting calories, especially if you cut them severely, your body adapts by decreasing the metabolic rate. That’s sometimes known as the “starvation response” or “Adaptive thermogenesis.”

The second reason is that you need fewer calories after you lose weight. Calorie needs are directly tied into your body weight. One problem is that after people lose a lot of weight, they tend to keep eating the same way they were eating when they were heavier.

So they’re feeding a smaller person the way they were when they were a bigger person, but when you’re a smaller person, you don’t need as many calories, even at rest (your basal metabolic rate is lower).

A third reason is that when you move that smaller body, you’re not burning as many calories. If you strap on a weighted vest or heavy backpack and go out and hike up a hill, you can tell, obviously, that if you’re lugging around extra weight, you’re burning more calories. So now can you see why, after you lose weight, you burn fewer calories?

The fourth reason is that most people either cheat on their diets or they forget to record part of their food intake. This one requires a little bit of honesty with yourself. Even if you don’t do it intentionally and you don’t “cheat” per se, unconsciously, we’re all terrible at estimating how much food we eat.

Some studies have even showed underreporting calorie intake as much as 50%. In other words, you say, “I’m only eating 1,200 calories a day, but i’m stuck at a plateau!” but you’re really eating 1,800 calories a day which doesn’t give you much of a deficit.

All of these reasons for plateaus get amplified in the later stages of a diet, because biologically speaking, your body is doing everything it possibly can to get you to go off your diet and to get weight to stabilize.

After a long period of dieting and after a large weight loss, your body cranks up the appetite, stimulates cravings and tries to trick you into eating more.

The leaner you get, the longer youve been dieting and the more aggressively you cut calories, the more your body tends to defend its weight, and hold on to remaining body fat.

So it’s really common to hit that plateau when you’re dieted down and leaner. Usually it’s nowhere near as difficult for the overweight person to start losing weight as it is for the lean person to get even more lean. The last 10 lbs is usually a lot harder than the first 10.

If you think about it, it’s pretty unnatural from a biological perspective to walk around with really low single-digit body fat. It’s not beneficial from a survival-of-the-species point of view to have low body fat. So this metabolic adaptation becomes more pronounced the leaner you get.

you’re also at a higher risk of losing muscle, because extra muscle is not econmical when there’s a calorie shortage. Having extra muscle is like having an engine that’s bigger than you need – It’s like a gas guzzler.

The ultimate answer to why you plateau, why that last 10 pounds is so hard to lose and why it’s hard to break into those single digits is that you were in a calorie deficit but for all of the reasons mentioned above, you’re no longer in deficit.

The way to break the plateau then is to:

(1) re-stimulate metabolism and re-set fat-burning and starvation hormones, and

(2) re-establish the deficit.

(3) KEEP AFTER IT!

The question was, “How do I do that? More cardio, more weight training, manipulate my diet?”

You could do all of the above. Eating less or exercising more can both increase a deficit. But one thing you might want to do first, is give yourself a little break. Take your calories up to maintenance level, maybe for a week.

The idea there is not to try to accelerate fat loss, because what you’re actually doing is removing your calorie deficit for a short period of time. What you’re trying to do is facilitate the fat loss when you jump back into it.

It gives your body a physiological break from the stress of dieting; it resets some of those starvation hormones and stimulates your metabolism so when you go back to the calorie deficit, your body responds again.

You also get mental break from the diet as well, which makes it easier to stick with the program when you go back to it.

You could also use a calorie cycling approach, to help prevent yourself from hitting another plateau, and we already covered calorie and carb cycling in the last call.

I also recommend, because so many people underestimate how much they eat, don’t take any chances. Count your calories, or at least become really aware of the portion sizes and maybe even consider keeping a journal.

You’ve probably been told many times by a lot of different “experts” that you don’t have to count calories. But when you’re in a plateau, I’d recommend that you stop guessing and really get serious about what you’re taking in.

Then what you need to do is reestablish that calorie deficit using every tool at your disposal.

Use nutrition by pulling back your portion sizes. Or use cardio. And by increased cardio, I mean increasing energy expenditure. You could increase your frequency. You could increase your duration.

But increasing energy expenditure is not necessarily doing longer workouts, just burning more calories. You could also take the same amount of time that you’re spending right now and increase your intensity.

The whole idea is just burn more calories and stimulate metabolism, which gives you your deficit back again or you can pull back your food intake and give yourself a deficit again from the food side.

There’s more than one way to do it and I don’t think that you should lock yourself in. Use all of the variables and remember that there are TWO sides to the energy balance equation, not one.”

# # #

I Hope you enjoyed this excerpt, and mostly, I hope you put the information to good use!

This was just one short excerpt from almost two hours of audio in Tom's new “Super Lean” seminar. Tom is giving away the entire seminar for free with the purchase of his ebook Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, but only until February 13th.”

You can get more information on Tom's Burn The Fat program AND his new “Super Lean” seminar at: www.BurnTheFat.com

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