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 If you look carefully at the Day 29 photo above you will see that I am starting to build mass in my arms, shoulders and lats. I point this out not to brag, but to show you, the reader, that High Intensity Training (H.I.T.) really works and it works fast. As mentioned in yesterday's post, I have had only 5 workouts using the H.I.T. system, but the results are already obvious. I have made progress in my strength numbers and my growth. I haven't ever had noticeable lats in my life and this system is giving them to me. I strongly suggest that if you want to build mass and burn fat, investigate this technique. Get some lifting time under your belt and then give H.I.T. a try. The workouts are short, but extremely intense. I actually use an electronic metronome to time my lifts.
This little gadget is awesome! I can even use it with headphones if I want (in case the gym is extremely loud). I follow the beat pattern that it gives off (it is currently set to a 3 second cadence) and that gives me the intensity I need in my lifting workouts. The only tweak I've made to nutrition along the way is to really pay attention to the protein intake. That is the one macronutrient I am being extremely cognizant of. If I am supposed to take in 340 grams in a given day, I make sure I hit that mark. That seems to be working for my body as I am already seeing noticeable gains in such a short time. If you are looking for a routine that will build mass, the H.I.T. program is it. I have seen numerous pictures (before and after) of people who have used this exact routine and the results are nothing short of amazing. The thing I am watching right now is how long the progress will continue. I am sending my workout log to Carlos DeJesus on Saturday. He will review it and make recommendations so that the progress will continue. With that said, I would again like to thank the inventor of the Quad Blaster, Carlos DeJesus, for his mentorship and his assistance with my training regimen. He is extremely supportive, reading this blog daily and giving me private encouragement. Along with the support of my fellow Shredders, Carlos has kept me motivated through some difficult times in my life. He and I have spoken about bodybuilding as well as a relationship with God. He has given me a vision as to how those two things go together to help me build the mass I am looking for. This mission isn't called “Getting a little bit bigger” it is called “Getting REALLY Big” and Carlos has taken that title seriously and is helping me to get really big. Thank you, Carlos, my good friend. |
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 Today was a cardio day and I managed to get in a 30 minute interval workout. |
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 “If your position is everywhere, your momentum is Zero.” Michael Korda |
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 How do you maintain your momentum in your program? Comment this post to answer the question. |
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Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
M4:D28 (D328) Why size matters
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| Yesterday I discussed the principles behind H.I.T. training and left you with the idea that working out hard in the H.I.T. principles will add muscle to your frame, but why does this extra size matter? We are all trying to lose fat from our frame. It is a tough project. Many people jump in and start cutting right away, dropping their calories down and upping the cardio time. Their idea is that they will simply drop the fat by doing these things. Eventually they hit a point where they cannot drop any more fat and they get frustrated. There is a very basic reason why I no longer like this approach and if I were to begin training people who were seeking to lose fat I'd put them on a good muscle building program. It is quite simple–muscle burns fat. Without taking into consideration the work a muscle does, muscle, at rest, burns about 13 calories a day. If you include the activity of the muscle, it burns close to 50 calories a day. By building muscle and working out hard, you will burn about a pound of fat a week. Muscle is important in the fat burning regimen. By keeping your lean body mass high, you minimize your fat percentage. While some fat is obviously necessary, most people want to look lean and mean. Building muscle is the way to go. The sheer fat burning capabilities of muscle make gaining muscle a necessary endeavor. Yes, when we workout with intensity we increase our muscle mass. When we increase our muscle mass we burn more fat. With the increased muscle mass we increase the size of our engine. This, my friends, is known as the larger engine theory. |
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Today was my 5th H.I.T. workout and progress continues. Some comparisons:
There has been progress on every single exercise. What amazes me personally is that this is after only 9 days of working out and only 5 actual workout sessions. I will admit that I figured I'd get some progress, but I never imagined it would be this good. I was concerned about overtraining and worried that I would fall into that category almost immediately. Instead, my body is responding to the load I am placing on it. The 3 second cadence on each exercise makes that exercise much tougher than it would be "normally" and that adds to the intensity of the workout. I can also tell you that I've added some mass to my frame and that was the entire reason for doing this routine, so I am happy in that regard. Another side benefit that I've discovered is that by working my forearms, my grip is getting stronger. That is manifesting it |
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| "You cannot change anything in your life with intentions alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you'll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless." Caroline Myss |
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| How do you turn your intentions into actions? Comment this post to answer the question. |
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Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
Related Posts:
M4:D27 (D327) HIT Principles Explained
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| As most of you know, I am working through a workout plan designed by Carlos DeJesus. This plan utilizes the HIT principles of lifting. While you can easily look this up on Google, I figured I'd take the time today to explain the principles in a simple way. HIT (or High Intensity Training) is designed to give you an incredible workout in the least amount of time. The idea is to do a workout in a short period of time that absolutely bombards the body. In my case, I am doing a full body routine 3 days a week. At first glance, this sounds extreme. However, when you really examine what is going on, it is not extreme at all, it is effective. I train with a 3-3 cadence. 3 seconds on the positive phase of the lift and 3 seconds on the negative phase of the lift. This makes it more difficult to get alot of repetitions out of the exercises I am doing. The weight I can lift is dramatically less as a result of this cadence. At the same time, this cadence really stresses out the muscle. I take each set to momentary failure. The muscles actually shake and shiver after a set. It is an intense feeling. By working the body in this way, with just one set taken to failure, your body recovers better and you can work the same muscle groups more often each week. This spurs on more growth. The key element here is the recovery. You have to pay attention to your body and be sure you have fully recovered before you do another workout. That part is essential for growth to happen. |
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| Today was a 30 minute interval session. I got myself up to 145 BPM and then held it there for 2 minutes. I allowed my body to recover down to 105 BPM and then repeated the cycle over and over until I hit 30 minutes. I always end up dripping in sweat after this workout. It is aimed at bringing up my fat burning level to a higher heart rate level. I enjoy these sessions. |
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| "There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them." Denis Waitley |
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| Have you accepted the responsibility for changing the conditions as they exist in your life? Comment this post to answer this question. |
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Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
Related Posts:
M4:D26 (D326) My world Monday
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M4:D25 (D325) Heart
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| Today was a rest day for me, but it wasn't especially restful. I went to a youth hockey game where I act as equipment manager for the team. This team has a bunch of talented young men on it. The problem with the team is that they are new to the level of hockey they are playing and therefore, they are getting pushed around in the early stages of the season by more seasoned teams. As I sit on the bench with these boys during the games, one thing has become evident–they give up too easily. They have lost two games in a row now. The first one was 6-0 and the second was 10-0. In both games the score after the first period was 1-0 and both games looked like they would be close. What happens is this group of boys gives up after the second goal goes in. They forget what they've been taught. They stop doing the things they were doing in the first period to keep it close. They have no heart. That's right, they lack the heart to get the job done. They have already started fighting among themselves. They are blaming each other for the losses rather than focusing on what they, as an individual contributor, can do better. They are forgetting that the team only does as well as its weakest member. |
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| No workout today as it was a rest day. |
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| Passion, heart and desire–the three ingredients for success. |
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| What propels you towards success in your program? Comment this post to answer the question. |
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Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
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