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.

Today was my final Fat Loss II A workout.  I have one more Fat Loss II B workout and I'm done with the Fat Loss II program.  I will then move on to Fat Loss III (which has 2 Giant Sets of 4 exercises with no rest).

I've really been working hard on my squats and today I felt very strong as I did my front squats.  It took me a little while before I had the form down correctly for holding the bar as I did these, but now that I have that down, I was able to up my weight quite alot from the last workout:

Front Squats (ss)
155×8; 155×8; 155×8
Wide grip seated cable row (ss)
140×8; 140×8; 140×8

I made sure to do the cable rows with a slow rhythm and full range of motion.  I found that I immediately felt the muscles working harder than my last workout.  The extra 5 pounds didn't hurt either.

Barbell push press (ss)
105×8; 105×8; 105×8
Supine hip extension with leg curl (ss)
18; 18; 18

My hamstrings burned after the supine hip extensions.  Those are great for the hamstrings!

Dynamic Lunges (ss)
35×8; 35×8; 35×8
Upper Body Russian Twist (ss)
10; 10; 10

Yet another great heart pumping and muscle pumping workout.  I've managed to up my weights alot and for that, I'm extremely proud.

Today I was pretty tempted to eat some sausage for lunch.  I examined the package and when I read “15 g. of fat per serving” I decided to skip it and eat some lean ground turkey instead.  What a wake up call!  At the same time, I was proud of myself for not giving in to the temptation because the sausage sure sounded yummy!

I'm going to be upping my frequency of cardio exercise starting on Sunday.  After my Sunday workout, I will be done with Fat Loss II.  I am supposed to take the rest of the week off, but I plan to do some extra cardio. 

In doing some soul searching, I've realized that my weight workouts for the past few months have been awesome, but the results I've seen from a fat loss standpoint haven't been what I want.  This is because I have not been strict enough about nutrition and I haven't done enough cardio.  The nutrition is under control this week and it is now time to focus on the cardio.  Those two simple adjustments should help me to see some amazing gains.  I have a positive attitude and that is probably a big part of the battle I am facing. 

Tomorrow I will take some pictures and post them here. I will then do my best to take weekly photos.  Thanks for reading!

I moved on to the next workout in my Fat Loss II phase and now that the rest is down to 30 seconds, the Bulgarian Split Squats are back trying to kill me.  I really focused myself on getting the form correct.  I noticed just how hard it is to do these things right!

I started out with Deadlifts as usual.  I am starting to really like Deadlifts!

Snatch Grip Deadlift (ss)
175×8; 175×8; 175×8
T-push up (ss)
15; 15; 14

Now the dreaded exercise:

Bulgarian split squat with overhead press (ss)
20×8; 20×8; 29×8
Chin up (assisted) (ss)
8(170); 8(170); 8(170)

Finally, an exercise I really feel after this workout:

Romanian Deadlift with Bent over row (ss)
80×8; 80×8; 80×8
Lower Body Russian Twist (ss)
8; 8; 8

I am continuing my focus on nutrition and avoiding cheat meals at all costs.  So far it is working just fine.

Today was my first NROL workout where the rest period was 30 seconds.  I worked through Fat Loss II A today and while I find it challenging, it has never really winded me the way Fat Loss II B does.  Today was different.  The 15 seconds difference between the two phases (45 seconds of rest versus 30 seconds of rest) has amped up this workout considerably.  Now I'm extremely winded.  I found myself gasping for air after my Front Squats.

Yes, I focused on beating previous workouts despite the change in rest time.  Today's workout (all supersets with 30 seconds rest):

Front Squats (ss)
145×8; 145×8; 145×8
Wide grip seated rows (ss)
135×12; 135×12; 135×12

I focused on keeping the weight up high during the front squats and going down as low as I could. I paid extra attention to my abdominals being tight so as to take the stress off my back.  I also paid attention to the pace of the exercise.  The wide grip rows were different.  I spent time making sure my chest was out and stomach was in.  I focused on feeling the pull in my lats and traps.

Supine hip ext with curl on swiss ball (ss)
17; 17; 17
Barbell Push Press (ss)
100×10; 100×8; 100×8

The hip extensions with curl on the swiss ball are slamming my hamstrings big time.  I just keep upping the reps each time I do these.  It is the only way to “beat the previous workout” with this exercise.  The barbell push press was a challenge.  I did 10 on the first set because I forgot I was at 8 reps in today's workout and not 10.  100 pounds is the most I've ever done with this exercise. I  really think I need a belt if I'm going to lifft much more weight than that on this exercise.

Static lunges (ss)
35×8; 35×8; 35×8
Upper body Russian Twist (ss)
12; 12; 12

I used to hate the lunges.  Yes, today I got up to 85% of my max heart rate just doing lunges, but I can feel a difference in how well I can do the exercise now.  I can get the right form and still use a fairly heavy (for me) weight of 2 35 pound dumbbells.  I get to about 6 reps and really start to feel it.

Today's workout felt very excpetional.  After the realization I had about craving oatmeal AFTER the workout, I tried something different prior to the workout.  I took my regular serving of oatmeal and placed it into the blender.  I then put 8 ounces of water into the blender and let it sit for 15 minutes.  I then added my protein powder and blended it all up into a drink.  I was able to drink my oatmeal before the workout, which gave me a great deal of energy during  the workout.  To some of you this might be obvious, but I'm still learning how all this works, so it was a great find.

Today I brought The Stick to the gym and before my cardo session I worked my calves with it.  As some of you know if you read my blog, I've had trouble with my right calf muscle ever since I tore it about 6 months ago.  It just doesn't let me run because it cramps up badly.  Well, I am glad to say that using The Stick I was able to run my intervals instead of walk my intervals during cardio today.  I must say, I got alot more winded and felt like I was working much harder during the workout using some running during the intervals.  I highly recommend The Stick.