M4:D28 (D328) Why size matters

What's on my mind today?
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.

Find out what I'm doing to my body!

Today was my 5th H.I.T. workout and progress continues. Some comparisons:

	9/8/2008	9/17/2008
Thigh Extension	155 x 12	175 x 12
Thigh Curl	140 x 9	145 x 8
Calf Raises	270 x 12	275 x 15
Squat	175 x 12	195 x 11
Quad Blaster	30 x 15	35 x 13
Pull over	50 x 8	55 x 9
Bench Press	155 x 6	155 x 9
Pull down	150 x 8	150 x 12
Overhead Press	115 x 6	115 x 10
Cable Seated Row	150 x 8	165 x 10
Dips	BW x 9	10 x 10
Curls	45 x 12	65 x 9
Triceps Pushdown	80 x 9	90 x 12
Laterals	25 x 8	25 x 12
Deadlift	225 x 6	245 x 8
Shrug	225 x 5	245 x 8
Forearm	30 x 12	75 x 6

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
self in better deadlifts. I can't wait to see what my 1 rep maxes will be on squats and deadlifts after 12 weeks on this routine. Carlos has given me a great formula for bodybuilding success and I plan to work it to the max.

Exercise the brain with the Thought of the Day!
"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