Posts written by Michael J. Mahony

I have already decided that Mission 7 will revolve around losing body fat.  I have been working for months on building muscle, so now I need to melt off the remaining fat to reveal the muscle I’ve worked so hard for. It is there, my measurements confirm that. 

First, what does S.M.A.R.T. statnd for?  Some of you may know that it is a system of setting goals that stands for Specific Measureable Attainable Realistic Time-sensitive.  Today we will discuss specific goals.

As I stated above, my next mission is going to revolve around losing body fat. Does this mean my goal should be “I will lose body fat”?  Do you think that is a very specific goal?  Let’s see what we think.

Does this goal tell me when I’ve accomplished it?  Do I have a way of knowing that I am done with the goal?  The obvious answer is that I do not have any way of knowing I’ve accomplished the goal. 

A better goal is “I have a body fat percentage of 12%” because it if very specific.  I know where I am starting and I have an exact idea of where I want to end up—12%.  There are other aspects of this goal that are still missing, but for sake of today’s discussion, this is a good goal. 

It is important for your goals to be specific because you want your brain working on accomplishing the goal right away.  The target is specific so you can’t go off track. 

Thus, my first goal for the mission will be:

Goal #1:  I have a body fat percentage of 12% on August 1, 2009

My second goal for the mission will arise as a result of the first goal. 

Goal #2:  I weigh 205 lbs. on August 1, 2009

Clearly I will be happy with any weight as long as Goal #1 is achieved.  In other words, I am more focused on the body fat percentage than I am on the scale weight. Goal #2 is also a very specific goal.

Tomorrow we will talk about making goals measureable.

I was once a “compound only” defender.  I know that compound movements recruit more of your muscles than isolation exercises.  I worked hard and used compound movements. I heard all about how you don’t have to train biceps directly as they will grow from just compound movements.  Being a proponent of the Experiment of One, I quickly learned that this is not true for me.  I get my best growth in my biceps when I train them directly. 

At the same time, I truly believe that if you focus too much on isolation movements you are shortchanging yourself.  Compound movements should dominate your routines.  Isolation movements should be there to assist.  In fact, if you are working on building strength and increasing mass, I’d focus mainly on compound movements.  They will give you the most bang for the buck.

The system I am using now mixes compound movements with isolation movements, resulting in some of the most brutal workouts I’ve ever experienced.  The pain that comes along with biceps exercises is exquisitely intense.  I love the feel of the pump in my biceps at the end of a hard fought set of curls.  There is no other feeling quite like it.

On the other hand, when you just finish blasting out a heavy compound set you feel like Hercules.  That feeling carries you through your workout with the knowledge that you can and will lift anything.  It is amazing!

• Intensity.  The higher intensity stimulates the body’s musculature to grow.  Intensity is increased by (a) progressively increasing the amount of weight you use; (b) progressively decreasing the amount of time it requires to perform a certain amount of work; or (c) by carrying each set to a point of total failure.
• Duration.  As intensity increases, duration must decrease.  Since we know that intensity stimulates the body’s musculature to grow, the less time you spend in the gym the better.  This is only true if you increase the intensity, thereby decreasing the duration.
• Frequency.  The number of times per week you workout is going to be important.  It is tough work hitting your body with extreme intensity.  Your body will need rest to recuperate from the pounding it takes.
• Adaptation.  Your body will adapt to the load being placed upon it.  Therefore, you must do everything you can to avoid that adaptation.  Change up the exercises, increase the weight, modify the frequency…it all helps to deal with adaptation.

When you apply the above principles you see bigger gains.  The more strict you are with these things the better your results tend to be.

Dougal is competing in Adam Waters’ RTP Transformation Contest and I believe he has an excellent chance to win.  In the past, Dougal won the Body for Life challenge, so he is a formidable opponent in this contest.   Due to circumstances beyond my control (ie. Adam Waters refusing to allow me back into the Shreddersphere out of his own stubbornness, and for no other good reason) I am unable to cheer these guys on, but I am watching the external blogs and cheering for the contestants in that manner.

• Low carb or higher carb–for most people it doesn't matter. Losing fat is about burning more calories than you eat.
• Low fat or high fat–as long as it is essential fatty acids and good fat it really doesn't matter. Good fat in the form of essential fatty acids actually helps with fat loss. Again, it is more about calories than anything else.
• Calories are the reason you gain or lose fat, so it is much more important to count calories.
• Experimenting with macronutrients is a good way to find what works for you, but it still comes back to calories in versus calories out.
• I've personally tried many different macronutrient ratios. All of them worked as long as I paid attention to total calories.

The bottom line is that calories are king in this discussion.  If you eat 4,000 calories and keep a perfect 40/40/20 carb/protein/fat ratio you are still going to gain fat.  There is no doubt in my mind.  The simple formula is still true—you lose fat when the number of calories you consume is less than what you expend on a daily basis.