Hard work always pays off. It doesn't matter where you are working or what you are working on, when you put in effort you get results.  This is something worth reminding yourself of from time to time.

It is also very easy to just give up when the results don't come as fast as you'd like them to.  That's where perseverance comes in.  At the same time, when results aren't what you want, look at everything you are doing.  Make an honest assessment of your situation.  Are you eating clean?  Are you exercising with intensity?  Are you being consistent with both things?  You answer the questions and make adjustments according to those answers. 

I have also learned that you have to know your weaknesses.  If your weakness is chocolate cake, you need to completely avoid chocolate cake.  For some reason, when we give in to a weakness, it dominates us for a short time.  We eat tons of chocolcate cake if we give in.  Most people can't just have one piece.  Knowing your weaknesses enables you to have control over your situation.

Today I did another HIIT session.  As usual, I felt pretty lazy not doing my weightlifting, but that's what this week is about.  The closer I get to Sunday and my 5×5's, the more excited I get.  I feel like a kid at Christmas just thinking about it.  It is exciting to me!  At the same time, I'm trying to stay very focused on my cardio program.  I'm trying different things to keep it interesting and to keep my body guessing.

I did a little more work towards the podcast today.  I'm excited to release that as well.

Until tomorrow…

Day 33 has arrived and things are looking good.  I think I finally have my consistent nutrition plan dialed in.  I track my macronutrients carefully in a spreadsheet and have been hitting my ratios on a regular basis.  It feels good to have the pieces of the puzzle go together.

I gave Adam's video some thought, especially the part about the hidden motivator.  Honestly, that doesn't motivate me at all.  I don't care what my family thinks because they see me so rarely.  However, I am very motivated by the clothes I wear and how they fit.  I'm stubborn about my clothing and refuse to go to a different size.  That's why I feel so awesome when I know I am fitting into my pants better.  I watch that closely.

Today I changed up my HIIT a little bit just to keep my body guessing.  I did 2 minute intervals at 7.5 mph and 1 minute intervals at 4.0 mph.  It felt different and a little harder, but that wasn't why I did it. My purpose in doing it was to keep my body guessing.  As with your nutrition, your body also adapts to the exercise you throw at it.  I've read that you can change things up by changing the intensity or by going from treadmill to elliptical.  Any change in the type of cardio exercise will help you avoid the adaptation.

I am currently working on my podcast that is set to be done on Saturday, December 1, 2007.  My topic is going to be how I got back into exercising after back surgery.  I will discuss the approach I used and why I think it is the optimal approach.  Be sure to come back and listen to the podcast.

I am feeling really lazy this week because I'm not pushing my body with heavy weights.  It feels strange, but I can tell that I needed it.  My body usually feels a certain way.  Already this week, after not having what would have been two weight workouts, I can tell that some parts of me were very sore perpetually.  They have recovered fully.  I can't wait until Sunday when I start my Hypertrophy I workout.  I know I'm going to feel pumped and very strong when I get back to lifting. 

On another note, I'm still really suspicious of the quotation I posted from Metabolic Surge.  While I understand one shredder's explanation that we can dig into our “reserves” (ie. our muscle) for protein, that isn't at all what Nilsson was saying in that quotation.  He made it pretty clear that he feels your body stores protein just like it stored carbs and fats.  That just isn't the case.  At the same time, I don't really see alot of other issues with the program.  If anyone has the ability of asking Nilsson himself about the meaning behind that quotation, I would appreciate hearing that answer.  I know that once I found an apparent discpreancy in one of Marc David's eBooks and asked about it on http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com and Marc himself answered the question!  His answer totally made sense and cleared up the issue for me.  I'd love to have the same thing happen with this quotation.

Until tomorrow…

I got up early today and did my HIIT session like always.  It felt weird not to lift weights beforehand, but that's the plan for this week.

Tonight I was reading through Metabolic Surge when I came across this quote:

“Your body uses up its protein stores and, just like carb-loading, this creates an urgent need in your body to store the missing nutrient when it gets it again.”

This is a false statement if I've ever seen one.  It made me really think because science says that protein cannot be stored.

“Protein cannot be stored and needs to be replenished daily. Muscle wasting can occur if protein intake is inadequate as it may be needed for more important body functions. However, most people eat more than they need in terms of protein. The train of though that strength athletes followed is that the more material you supply the body the more it will build. That is not true. The body will only use the precise amount of protein it needs. The rest will be excreted in the urine and excess amount may even cause liver and kidney strain. It can also cause an increase in calcium loss in the urine as wel as dehydration. ” (http://healthfitness.com.au/diet/nutrition/protein-proteins.htm)

“Protein in the body is used as a building material so it is not really stored in the same way as fat and carbohydrates, but because muscle is frequently broken down and used as energy the whole muscular system represents a huge potential store of energy. Some protein is always used to supply energy.” (http://ezinearticles.com/?Human-Body-Energy-Stores-and-Losing-Weight)

“”The body can use protein most efficiently if protein is consumed frequently during the day. Six small meals, each containing some protein, allows the body to make better use of the nutrient than if you eat it in two or three large meals. And because protein is not stored, not even for several hours, complete protein – a balanced combination of all the essential amino acids plus nonessential ones – must be consumed in the same meal.”” (Jane Brody, Author of Jane Brody's Nutrition Book [as quoted by Tom Venuto in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle)

“Proteins can’t be stored in the body.” (Tom Venuto in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, p. 192)

“Because protein can’t be stored for later use like carbohydrates, it’s necessary to consume a complete protein in every meal to stay in positive nitrogen balance.” (Tom Venuto in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, p. 194)

It bothers me when I read things like this Metabolic Surge quotation that are totally incorrect.  If I can't trust what he says about protein, how can I trust what he says about anything at all?  It deeply concerns me because so many people use this program and they are getting the incorrect information.  I do understand the concept of protein depravation because I used it during my Optimum Anabolics training, but protein depravation simply makes your body suck up the protein when you finally give it some.  This is an entirely different situation.  Nilsson is making the case for protein being stored in the body in much the same manner as carbohydrates and clearly that is false.

I will be interested in the comments to this blog because I'm certain most of you will disagree with me.  That's why I posted the links and references for each quotation I posted. 

Until tomorrow…

Today began the new phase in time for me.  I get to rest this week from weights and just focus on cardio as I just finished my Fat Loss III program.  I thought I had two more workouts to go, but when I went to print the next week's workout log, it showed that I was done and should be on a rest week.  I will just continue to do some hard cardio.

I've decided that this week I will do double cardio on what would have been the non lifting days and single cardio on days that would have been lifting days.  It will keep my body in a situation where it is getting the rest it needs.

Today I focused on my macronutrient ratios.  I managed to keep them at 51/31/18 when I was shooting for 50/30/20, so that's a major success for me.  My high carb day today really helped to replenish my energy and it felt great.  I'm finding that I'm learning to make the right food decisions instinctively now. 

I am also focused on drinking nothing but water and one glass of milk each day.  I have to drink the milk because if I don't and my calcium levels go down, I get leg cramps or worse and I'm not willing to risk that and not be able to workout.  I am not putting myself in that position.

I can't believe that I'm almost 1/3 of the way through my first mission.  It feels like it was just yesterday that I started this journey.  I guess when you make good progress the time goes by faster!

I got to watch the Patriots and Eagles play tonight.  It was a great game and it got me thinking about underdogs and favorites yet again.  When you have nothing to lose, it isn't that hard to step up and do your best.  It is much more difficult to be in the position of favorite and have to come up with a particular result than it is to be the underdog because nobody expects the underdog to come out on top.  The underdog just has to show up and produce a decent result.  Well, shredders, we are in the same situation.  Nobody truly expects us to get into top form, so any results we produce in the right direction will impress them.  I see it all the time. People asking if I lost weight, gained muscle, etc.  It is funny actually.  However, the better shape I get in, the more important it is for me to maintain those results because people are going to expect that as well.

In the end, I know this is a life long journey without any end.  Each mission I undertake will lead to yet another mission for me to undertake.  That won't ever stop.

Until tomorrow…

I just finished checking my stats for this week.  Wow, I had no idea how effective the cardio sessions would be!

	Previous	Goal as of 11/24	Actual as of 11/24	Diff to Previous	Diff to Goal
Body Weight (lbs)	232	232	232	0	0
Body Fat %	18.2	18.0	17.5	-0.7	-0.5
LBM (lbs)	189.78	190.24	191.4	1.62	1.16