| It's not easy being green ... | Week 5 of 12, Day 30 of 84
... as Kermit the Frog would say, but it sure as heck ROCKS!!!! Green day yesterday, another green day will today be. No temptation from pretzels anymore. I came home and saw those nice baked corn chips laying around, which are perfectly healthy in my book, but it wasn't IN MY PLAN so I turned the cheek ... that's okay, more appetite to enjoy my wife's New York strip that swam overnight in a homemade marinade and was served with steamed broccoli!
I had a great run last night, about 2.4 miles in 20 minutes, followed by my auxiliary workout: abs, lower back, forearms, and calves. Had plenty of energy and knocked the weights around with authori-tah.
I was going through my statistics for my paper - this certification should be done THIS weekend, a lot more writing than I anticipated, but it's all good - but I found something very interesting. I gathered DOZENS of body fat and weight statistics, and found an interesting trend. Any other comments about this will be welcomed.
1. For men, it appears that the majority (and this is out of dozens of data points) who have successfully leaned down to single digits bodyfat and train hard have about 180 pounds of lean mass. Average is like 175 and our bigger guys are 185 but it all centers around 180. This might be useful for setting goals, as the AVERAGE male who DOESN'T train is probably more around 150 - 160 (yes, beginner's gains are incredible - I bet at least a solid 10/15 pounds of that lean mass was acquired during the first year of training).
2. For women, all of my stats centered around the number 105! Now, there will be obvious variances with height, etc, but it is interesting that while people just beginning had LBM all over the place, the ones who have been training for several years all were around 105 LBM.
Very interesting!
Shane - glad to see you back in full force!!!!
Andy - sounds like a great start! Happy to have you here.
Alex - I absolutely got your e-mail!!! So happy to follow your posts and help keep each other accountable. In Christ, all things are possible!
Jeff Kleck - I'm not saying that *you* are making this mistake, but in general, the biggest mistake many people I see make is believing that supplements can help them grow muscle. I can guarantee 100% from personal experience that, outside of illegal steroids, there is no supplement on the market that will help you gain muscle. NONE. HOWEVER ... and this is key ... IF you are already training CORRECTLY and INTENSELY enough to see muscle gains, there are supplements that will help you achieve even more spectacular gains! So ... that statement is very important. When you look at things like creatine, dozens of studies have shown its effectiveness. However, if you really jump into the studies, they are mainly with elite and pro athletes, who train like there is no tomorrow. In fact, that is a REQUIREMENT for creatine to work! Creatine increases your work capacity, but 9 out of 10 people who I've trained don't come close to their existing work capacity ... so the creatine can't make a whit of difference! Only if someone is training SO HARD, so INTENSELY, that they absolutely, positively could not possibly have moved any more weight during their session - THAT is the person who will benefit from creatine, because their work for that session will increase and cause bigger inroads of fatigue to the muscle and possibly result in hypertrophy.
So, my question to you is, how confident are you of your routine and nutrition base? Because those are the requirement for gaining muscle. If you have a bad routine or poor nutrition, no supplement is going to help. You must be 110% confident that your training and nutrition CAN and ARE producing results. If you are at that point, then it is a GREAT time to add supplementation.
Here are a few of my recommendations:
2 - 3 grams of Vitamin C each day (spread in 100 or 500 mg doses) - assists with recovery
1,000mg of fish oil capsules (should have EPA and DHA, cold water fish best, blend with salmon, I like the Spectrum brand)
1 - 3 tbsp of flaxseed oil
A good multi-vitamin (I still stick with The Bridge from ISP Nutrition)
16 - 24 grams of glutamine for immune system support and recovery
6 - 12 grams of creatine monohydrate daily (forget any special "delivery systems" - just pure, pharmaceutical grade from a reputable company)
Now, I have one other recommendation. Your two goals, in my opinion, are contradictory:
1. Gain muscle definition
2. Gain size
To gain muscle definition, while having larger muscles certainly doesn't hurt, the key is low body fat. If you are above 10% body fat, then it doesn't matter if you have gargantuan muscles, the definition won't be as great. For example, in my pictures, while I might look "large" in my recent picture, the detail and definition are nowhere near what they were when I was low body fat. In fact, it's funny, because I can lose muscle and get down to 7% body fat, and people will tell me from pictures that I gained a ton of muscle - when in fact, I simply stripped away the fat that was covering the muscle so more detail shows.
To gain size, you must add mass and calories. While you can add size without adding fat (many here have added size and lost fat) it is very, very hard and not for everyone. If you are "skinny fat" then I think that Zachary is probably a good role model for you, because he started out "skinny fat" and we all know how far he's come. But you have to remember one important thing about Zach ... while he may have dropped fat and gained muscle at the same time, he trains more intensely than most people I know. In fact, I can easily say that after training or witnessing training with literally hundreds of people, I put Zach in the top 5 for intensity ... so that gives you an idea of how hard you must WORK to get that muscle.
You hope that your body fat will drop substantially. Again, it *is* possible, but not very likely. You might be better off doing a bulking phase - say, trying to maintain your weight or gain maybe 2 - 4 pounds over an 8 - 12 week period, then cutting again. It's just statistics ... if you want a great example, mosey on over to BodyChangers and browse the interviews section. You'll find literally dozens and dozens of people there. They are different body types and tried different programs but all have one thing in common - extraordinary results, just like we see here. BUT ... here's the kicker ... I challenge you to determine what percentage of those people actually managed to gain size and definition (read: hypertrophy and fat loss) at the same time. I think I know of maybe 2 interviews where this happened. The rest went through cycles of bulking and cutting.
I hope that this helps ... not trying to be harsh or cut into your goals, but the reality of training is very important to understand because it can help you set more realistic goals. If you are prepared to train every day like it is the ONLY day of training you'll EVER do, it's so intense, it's an Olympic event, then you are ready to cut fat and gain muscle at the same time. If you are less than that, then bulking and cutting may be a better plan.
Best of success with your program, whatever you decide!
Joe Tesney - Congratulations! So happy to hear you starting with so much energy. May the Lord bless your journey and lead you to great victory and abundance!
Emma - it's nice to see someone else who recognizes the importance of calcium from natural sources. The dairy industry has invested billions in making women believe they must drink milk and consume dairy to avoid osteoperosis, which simply isn't true - in fact, a lot of the dairy is FORTIFIED with calcium (so why not just take a supplement). At any rate, referring to the fact that broccoli, spinach, etc contains calcium - I had one woman research this and then reply "I'd have to eat 2 buckets of spinach to get my intake ... no thanks." But that's simply not true - as you mentioned, absorption is greatly increased from the vegetable source. What's more interesting is if you go to PubMed and search, you'll find a study that examined calcium status in vegans versus meat eaters. What it found was that even though vegans received between 25% - 50% of the calcium that the meat eaters had in their diets, their levels of calcium in their bodies were the SAME! This implies either increased absorption from a vegetable diet, or that meat places a higher demand for calcium, or probably a combination of the two (ironic that dairy that is the main source of calcium for many people may in fact place the highest demand on the body FOR calcium!)
Everyone else - Keep it green and rock on!!!!!!!!!!
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 4/29/2003 7:43:39 AM | | New pictures, 4 week assessment, where do you want to go today? | Week 5 of 12, Day 29 of 84
First, THANK YOU to everyone who has helped me out ... what a terrific response!!!! You all are wonderful. I am a little behind on my coursework but will be getting back to certain people as I progress. Thanks again!
Well, 4 weeks have come and gone. I'm very pleased with the results. This was never a "race to gain 500 pounds of muscle" or "try to reach low single digits body fat" venture ... in fact, I was trying to simply fit the routine of fitness back into my lifestyle. Healthy nutrition is no longer a major issue for me ... it's pretty much standard fare, although I have to admit excessive calories by way of the sinister pretzel sometimes do interfere.
At any rate, after 4 weeks, there has not been a single week that I have not increased my cardiovascular output or my resistance in the gym, so I can't complain about that. My waistline, while not making huge progress, did loosen up a bit as evidenced by the clothes I'm wearing (or maybe it's that 4 weeks of wearing them has stretched them a bit to accomodate my frame, LOL). I did gain 4 pounds of mass ... that is pretty exciting. I'm not going to sit here and tell you it's muscle, however. Even incredible, world class, natural bodybuilding athletes like the Texas Shredder are lucky to gain maybe 1 or 2 pounds of muscle mass in a year! That's right, throw away what the supplement bottle says or the crazy ads tell you ... you are not going to consistently gain 10 pounds of muscle in a 12 week period.
Let's do the math ... Dave Goodin, the Shredder, weighs in at around 185 pounds. He's been training for 19 years. Now, if the claims of 1" in 3 months and 10 pounds of muscle in 12 weeks were really true, then we'd have people walking around with ... well, let's just do the math. If I trained consistently for 5 years and took all of the 1" on my arms and 10 pounds in 12 weeks supplement crap, I'd be 414 pounds at 10% body fat with 35" arms. Sounds great, but let's face it ... not a reality!
At any rate, when I gain 4 pounds but lose inches on my waist, I know I'm
(a) getting more than adequate carbohydrate intake, as every gram of carbs in my muscles drags in 3 - 4 grams of water with them
(b) getting a good run for my money on the creatine I'm taking
Even though I'm not a huge fan of supplements and wouldn't go out and buy creatine today, I do have some left over from previous challenges so ... hey, why let the money go to waste? One effect creatine has is drawing more fluid into the muscle. Again, water is playing a role here. So what we're really probably looking at is maybe a solid 0.25 pounds of muscle or less, then quite a bit of water! That's okay, 0.25 pounds of muscle adds up to a solid pound after several months of training and after 19 years of training means dozens of pounds of hard core muscle.
Anyway, I can talk numbers until my tongue turns blue and falls out. I posted the new pictures - the middle two. The left one is a floop because I didn't realize I took my "before" pictures with a flash, so now the washed out "before" is next to a 4-week that has a lot more contrast, so it's tough to really tell any changes. The one on the right (second from last) is my favorite, though, showing how my arms and chest have bulked up after some insane training sessions.
This is it ... I'm over the hill, I've ingrained these patterns back into my lifestyle, so now it's time to use them. I'm taking a few subtle steps that should influence my progress over the next 8 weeks:
1. Cutting out all the snacking. A handful of pretzels here, extra chip there ... that was fine while I was getting my laces tightened by now the shoes are on and the gloves are off.
2. More protein in the middle of the day. Let's face it - I know my body. Gotta have the thermogenic effect of higher protein to drop my love handles.
3. Increase cardio
Now, don't get me wrong ... I have no notions that the cardio I'm adding is going to have a huge impact on overall fat loss. I doubt very many people do the math, but let's break that down and then I'll wrap this post.
I'll be adding an HIIT session, then some extra moderate minutes after various other workouts. I won't bore you with the details, but this week I'll have a total of 27 extra minutes of cardio in my routine and by the 12th week it's be an extra 76 minutes for the week, for a total of 158 minutes of cardio that week. Sounds impressive - in fact, sounds like a lot, possibly on the verge of overtraining.
But, now, let's do the math. Since I've already been doing x minutes of cardio, the amount OVER AND ABOVE what I'm currently doing works out to a total of 482 minutes of cardio over the course of the next 8 weeks. Now, I don't care what the machine readout says or what overly optimistic trainers might tell you, but unless ALL of that time is OFF THE CHARTS cardio, like, say, what a Tim Barnby might be doing, then you're really only going to burn 6 - 10 calories per minute. Now that's a huge range but that's life, because people are just different.
So let's do the math ... 6 - 10 calories x 482 minutes = 2892 - 4820 calories extra burned. Now, I'll increase my overall metabolism a bit, too, but all in all, we know that a pound of fat is 3500 calories ... so basically, adding over 8 hours of cardio to my program has the net effect of burning maybe, if I'm lucky, an EXTRA POUND OF FAT - that's it!!! Can you believe it ... so many people think that adding a little bit of cardio or this extra session is the key to fat loss. You see it all the time ... "Time to lean out ... I'm going to add extra cardio" ... but no one really sits down and does the math!
Now, let's say I simply cut out my post-workout shake. All meals stay the same, I just take that nice avocado-banana-sugar post workout shake, and say, I'll skip it. That's 800 calories 3 times a week. One week = 2400 calories and 8 weeks would be 19200 calories or more like 5 - 6 pounds of fat!
So you see how nutrition is infinitely more important than cardio for fat loss. Don't get me wrong, the resistance training and cardio are all important and necessary, but it's nutrition that's going to make or break you. Don't fool yourself and think extra cardio - even significant extra cardio - is going to make a huge impact on your fat loss.
So why, you might ask, am I bothering with adding the extra, and why do bodybuilders always increase their cardio before a show?
To answer the first question, I want to get back to the level of fitness I enjoyed about a year ago, when I was in top cardio condition while lifting at the same time. The extra cardio is a launching pad to help me reach that.
The answer to the second question is more straightforward. I just ran some numbers for you, but we know in the fitness world, things aren't always as they seem. And the extra 4,892 calories I mentioned from calorie is a great example. While the numbers work out to x amount of fat burned, I failed to mention something people refer to as nutrition partitioning. In a nutshell, it means that if you gain 1 pound from food, then you can partition where that pound came from through manipulation of training an diet. If I consume a shake, that shake adds calories and weight. However, the quality of the shake and the timing will dictate whether or not that pound I gain is from fat, or muscle, or a combination of both.
It just so happens that changes in nutrition tend to impact visceral or internal fat stores the most. This is the fat around your organs, marbled inside your muscle, etc. So when cutting nutrition down, the greatest impact is going to be on this fat. For whatever reason, studies show that changes in energy output - i.e. extra cardio or resistance training - impact subcutaneous fat stores the most, or fat underneath the skin. So when we do the combination of both - cutting calories and increasing energy expenditure through exercise - we are attacking the inside and the outside at the same time.
The reason why bodybuilders increase their cardio is because (a) they are typically on restricted calories to begin with, and can't afford to go much lower and (b) because the most important fat for them to lose is fat underneath the skin. This is what can obscure muscle and make someone appear blurry, so losing that fat is essential to appear striated and ripped on stage. Believe it or not, ONE POUND can be the difference between barely seeing your abs and seeing them just fine! I've experienced it time and time again .... I'll be leaning down for a photoshoot, and Monday I'm looking at this blurred outline in the mirror, then Saturday and 1 - 2 pounds later suddenly all of the definition is there and shredded.
So the extra cardio is not meant to make a huge dent in my over all fat burning this next 8 weeks, but it is intended to help shift some of that fatburning to the subcutaneous fat, which is the main thing coming between me and my abs!
Okay, that's way too much for a Monday, I apologize ... have a GREAT week. No more yellow or red from now on. That's just the way it is.
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 4/28/2003 7:28:45 AM | | Important Health Announcement | Week 4 of 12, Day 26 of 84
On Monday I mentioned an announcement that would go out on Thursday, and forgot to follow up. I was referring to this:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/04/23/fat.cancer.ap/index.html
It didn't get as much attention as I thought it would, but the wife of one of the founders of my current company contributed to the study.
The study links more conclusively obesity to cancer risk, identified 8 new types of cancer positively linked than were previously known. The only unfortunate aspect is that the study used BMI instead of body composition. I don't know why the medical community insists on using this, other than it correlates to the vast majority of the population. However, even if BMI is useful from a statistical perspective, organizations need to start understanding body fat because people like us who take an interest in fitness suffer. What do I mean by suffer? I weight 212 pounds and my most recent picture is at the left up top. By BMI standards, I am considered "obsese" and would have higher costs of health insurance, etc as a result. When I build even more muscle, the problem will become more pronounced. I actually had to lean down to under 200 before I applied for my life insurance so I could get a decent rate!
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 4/25/2003 1:41:11 PM | | My take on the crunch issue ... | Week 4 of 12, Day 26 of 84 cont...
I both agree and disagree with both Emily and Nicole! LOL. This post is NOT to start a back and forth debate, to say someone is right or wrong ... I appreciate and respect both Emily's AND Nicole's advice, I think it's great. I'm just contributing my little piece of the puzzle, and I encourage others here not to react or denounce any opinions, but to take all of the pieces and find out how they fit best in your own personal program, and contribute what opinions and advice you might have as well!
Training can be a very complicated issue that is sometimes difficult to navigate. You can have two very successful people teach different concepts and achieve the same results.
Let's take the crunch, for example. I disagree that "Crunches Don't Work" but on the other hand, I think that the alternatives Emily provided in her article are great and DO work. I think Nicole has great abs, but I would disagree that it was the crunches that built those abs. I think the crunches may have contributed, but I know Nicole, and Nicole lifts INTENSELY and has worked HARD to achieve that body. So what does this have to do with it? Personally, I think when Nicole does dead-lifts, she's building her abs. When she does standing military presses, she's building her abs. When she squats, she's building her abs. When she does triceps push-downs, she's building her abs. See, I think the fact that she lifts heavy and intensely means that the abs MUST come in and play a stabilizing role, and therefore they develop in conjunction. This is also why I only do abs once a week or every 10 days. People say, "Oh, but they rapidly recover" which is true - but anytime you do a heavy, compound movement, your abs are involved, just as any upper body pressing movement invokes the biceps and any upper body pulling movement invokes the triceps!
I've seen people who never do a single abdominal workout have cut abs simply by losing the required body fat. I've seen people train abs daily and never see any definition because they don't get the body fat. And I've seen people who are lean and have poor abdominal definition. This may be controversial to some, but in my personal opinion, the priority for good abs is:
1. Body fat
2. Genetics
3. Exercise
That's it. Now, to get the body fat reduced involves exercise, etc. But I believe anyone who can reduce their body fat will see some abdominal definition, then its a question of if their genetics blessed them with symettrical tendons that create the six-pack effect, and finally the least important is the exercise, as some people do require hypertrophy to see the sculpted abs. But I still argue anyone lifting intensely using compoune movements - dead-lift, squat, etc - will by virtue of the need to stabilize their body develop abs.
We've also got to ask .. crunches, effective for what? If we are talking size, as Nicole so aptly demonstrated in her picture, then we are discussing something different from function. For example, crunches may or may not work to help gain the bulk to "see" abs. On the other hand, what about a football player training for their sport? It doesn't matter how their abs look, they need to be able to withstand torque, twisting, impact. Since a crunch isn't functional in football - no one lies on their back and crunches to make a touch down - something more functional would be hanging exercises, etc, that move the body into a similar alignment that would be in the game.
I leave you with this message I e-mail to Emily in the past ...
I do think the crunch has a place, especially for beginners. For me, the crunch is more of a control exercise than an actual mass or strength exercise. I find many beginners jump to the weight without having the control of that region. I think you very aptly described it in your previous post regarding, for example, the transversus. Many people don't realize that the rectus is actually only flat when contracted, and what keeps it pulled flat is the action of the transversus. They also fail to recognize the role of the pelvic girdle as part of stabilization.
So beginning with crunches, while it does not allow loading of adequate resistance, does offer an opportunity to teach control. Many people don't perform crunches correctly and don't go through proper range of motion. As you probably well know, the range of motion is very slight, only a few degrees, if you are truly just contracting the rectus and not also invoking hip flexors and other apparatus to raise the torso. If I have a client focus on pulling the belly button down through the back (to engage the transversus) and also the Kegel (to engage the pelvic girdle and add stability) then many people find even doing 2 or 3 crunches can be extremely difficult.
I agree that anyone with a weak lower back is going to have issues with crunches, as they would with hanging exercises, too. Sometimes I might actually approach abs indirectly. I might start loading other exercises like stiff-legged dead-lifts with a slightly exaggerated range of motion (lighter weight) and focus directly on the back with hyperextensions and good mornings, for example, before engaging in direct abdominal work. However, the crunch "phase" as I would call it is a good way to learn the control and the subtlety of the abdominal area.
I actually like the way that Ian King described it, I believe in one of his Get Buffed! videos. He was prescribing an adduction/abduction exercise. He mentioned that many people feel these isolation movements aren't needed, as squats and other compound exercises address the area, and that in isolation they aren't really mass builders. However, he stated that he liked to have many isolation movements in the start of a program because it teaches the person how to engage the muscle and what it "feels like" when that muscle is engaged ... otherwise, people might do squats or other exercises and not really ever know the extent of involvement those other muscles are playing. This is what I liken the crunch to ... a learning exercise. In fact, even though sit-ups place tremendous strain on the lower back, moving from crunches to sit-ups that target the abdominal muscles (rather than the hip flexors) is another way to learn control.
This is the entire philosophy behind the progression scheme, too. I don't take credit for it ... there is a doctor who wrote a few articles on the topic (I can't remember the exact reference) and Ian King has a complete program that targets the core, and what they have in common is really an approach of control that then moves towards loading. This program helps with control, as the crunches are the easiest to do (and, unfortunately, the easiest to do wrong) and then the hanging exercises demonstrate control through feedback - basically, if you can execute the full range of motion without swinging, you are contracting the right muscles to stabilize the torso, and you're now in a functional position that translates to real work. By moving from knee raises to parallel legs to full, we are actually increasing resistance simply using body weight and gravity and the concept of levers, and I've found that many people (myself included) could spend a full year using those exercises before being able to master them ... in fact, I doubt I can perform the whole sequence right now!
So in that respect, I like the sequence as a precursor ... obviously there comes a point when, like a gymnast, someone could perform those bodyweight exercises ad nauseum and then external loading is definitely needed for further development. As for cable crunches, I think those are GREAT. I also like the stabilizer exercises - i.e. exercises on the Swiss ball - I just think it is also a big trend. It's like many thinks in the personal training world. One person designs a routine on the Swiss ball that works for a client and suddenly everyone has to do everything on a Swiss ball! I think Swiss balls are great, I have one myself, but I think they are a component of an overall picture and not the final solution ... just as the exercises I described, I don't think they're the final solution, I see them as an introduction/induction that moves from control to resistance, and then moving onto other areas is definitely warranted. I also mainly have worked with beginners, so my comments tend to be biased in that direction - I think more advanced people would certainly be jumping straight into other types of routines and exercises.
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 4/25/2003 11:33:25 AM | | Chest busters, 4 weeks, and many thanks | Week 4 of 12, Day 26 of 84 cont...
First and most importantly, thank you to everyone who is helping me out with my certification. I had an overwhelming response, which is not surprising considering how amazing this community is. If anyone else has information they can offer, I still have a lot of data to gather, which I will be doing from this board, from my job, and from my local community. I'm very excited because after 6 long weeks it looks like I might be wrapping up my coursework this weekend!
Last night was chest busters. So ... how did my cold affect my workout? I SMASHED MY PERSONAL BESTS!!!! Yes. When I loaded the bar for bench press, I noticed that I had written down 210 pounds (I did 205 last week). I slid underneath the bar and gripped it, and suddenly was overcome with an amazing feeling of confidence that 210 wasn't enough - I'd need 215 to get a real workout. I mean, seriously, 210 means 45's, 35's, and those little, itty bitty 2.5 lb weights. I could at least make 'em 5 pounders, couldn't I? So I got back up and replaced them to bring it to 215. Then I got underneath, and I DID IT!!!! It felt like my body would split in half, but I managed to hit 6 reps on both sets at 215. I did inclines at 165, decline dumbbells at 81.25 (that's 80 lbs with a PlateMate attached), and flyes with 52.5. I then pounded my triceps - reverse grip bench at 150, push-downs at 100 (with my system, that is a heavier weight as there're no cams to distribute the load), skull crushers at 105, and the first time I was able to complete a full set of full range body weight dips.
It's amazing how the first 4 weeks of this program have revitalized me. I really was looking at it as a nice walk back into the fitness realm, not really going 110% intensity but getting back into the schedule. Instead, I've regained my focus. I've been able to go 110% intensity despite myself, not missing a single workout this first 4 weeks. If I wanted to spend time with my daughter, go out with my wife, was sick, had a special event, etc, I'd simply shift my schedule to make sure I still got my workouts in. My food was my downfall, but hey, this was my induction period.
What have I learned? I've learned I can go 110% with training and not negatively impact my family. This is such great news, because before, it was really the whole program that captivated me and any little piece falling out would set me off. Knowing that I can focus on training means the whole package is that much easier. Why? Because training is the hard part, the part that takes time, the part that could take my attention away from my family ... but I've found a way to schedule my time so it doesn't do that. Food? Food is the mental part. It might be the hardest part for many of us, but it's all in the mind - it's not about spending time with family, food is something I simply make a decision and do. So guess what? I had a fear of success, a fear that it would push aside things that are near and dear to me. Instead, I've found I can jog with my daughter in her stroller, I can train with her downstairs and teach her how fun and exciting fitness can be, I can tuck her in and kiss her on the cheek and then train when she's asleep, I can have my son spot me and give him basketball pointers, I can go to the park with my family and run my sprints while my son shoots hoops and my daughter plays on the playground.
In short, there are no more excuses for yellow. It's time to wrap up this neat little package and deliver it. I'm striving for a perfect 8 weeks. By perfect, I don't mean perfect in the sense of counting every calorie and every workout falling on the exact time frame I decide. No, my nutrition plan allows some flexibility ... if we want to go to the Middle Eastern restaurant and have some pita and hummus and fetoosh and lentil soup, that's fine. What's NOT part of my program is munching on chips, donuts, pretzels, etc throughout the day. So that will be cleaned up. I'll continue training as I have, shifting my schedule if necessary but always getting the workload in, and now I will be focused on my nutrition. It is very exciting ... this has truly been the hardest thing for me ... yes, even harder than 6.5% body fat ... because 6.5% is very well defined, I know exactly what calories, what cardio, etc I'm doing, because it's my only focus and everything else becomes a second priority. This is harder because I'm saying I'll stick to good nutrition and training, but I'll be infinitely flexible to allow my family to be the top priority ... and that means more willpower to not just "give up" when the schedule shifts or the environment changes, and to fight those excuses "Well, since I'm here, might as well order dessert" or "I missed my run, I should just sleep in" instead of asking my daughter if she'd like to get in that stroller.
But I'm excited. I'm ready to take on the task.
I took my 4 week photos last night. Doreen says that I am larger than she's ever seen me. I'll have the photos up this weekend, I'll let everyone else be the judge. Me? I'm having a hard time deciding ... I do feel huge after the past 16 weeks of heavy training, but I've also acquired a bit of body fat, so I'm not sure if I'm the same size I was on the cover of my 8 Weeks in Peak Physique with just more fat, or if indeed I've gained. I'll keep the 8 Weeks picture up (B&W) for contrast and will be very interested in opinions.
Well, enough of my rambling ... I'm going to leave it at that for today. Have a blessed Friday and I'll get those pictures up this weekend. Now for shout outs ...
Buzz - Have a great trip, you did an amazing job, keep up the great work and I look forward to future blogs from you!
Sarah Tagert - Bottom line, you're on track with a vengeance!!! THAT'S AWESOME!!! We all get off track ... Lord knows, I've been off track for months at a time before ... but I'm so happy to see you back up and ready to carpe diem!
Kristen Jander - I'm happy to see you plunging forward with your program! That's a bit of supplements. Most of those look great - amino acids, joint support, minerals. Might I suggest also taking 100mg Vitamin C with each meal, and drinking a cup of green tea and a cup of ginseng tea every day? Also, ginkgo biloba will do wonders for the brain. And ... about feeling uncomfortable in anything but sweats - can I share a story? You've seen my before pictures. I was embarassed to be who I was. I bought a cheap $150 gym and did my first few programs there. When I went to see Jeff Seidman in Miami, I was still very much overweight and far from my goal. Jeff inspired me, and helped me reach it. That was when I made the decision to go the gym. My fear was overwhelming ... I thought, "Everyone's going to be saying, look at the big guy ... what's someone like that doing lifting weights" ... but it was inspiration and motivation for me. I knew if I kept going, I would SHOW them how a strong will could transform someone ... and that's what I did. My sharing this is not to encourage you to dress differently or strut in front of a bunch of people. The lesson is something more important - I don't think you gain confidence in yourself by dropping weight. Confidence should be about who you are, every fiber of your existence. When talking about who someone is, we know that the outside can change - we can gain weight, lose it, get a sunburn, shave our heads, whatever. But the inside endures. So I encourage you to gain that confidence now ... in fact, I believe it is essential. I thought I would be confident in myself when I dropped weight, but I was wrong. Lack of confidence in myself PREVENTED me from reaching my goal. Only when I became comfortable with ME, NOW, was I able to reinvent my body to match the confidence on the inside, not create it. We all love you for who you are, and I encourage you to start your program by loving yourself, because if you gain that confidence now, the body will just come along for the ride ...
Sue - I think you're in great hands with Beverley International supplements ... there is a good reason they don't have to advertise or sell their products in supermarkets, because those who know bodybuilding know them! You have come so incredibly far, I still remember your posts when you just started this journey and were curious about the right exercises and foods ... congratulations for celebrating your beauty, both physical and internal!
Leann - so eat!! How about a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and some cottage cheese? Or, if you want to try it Jeremy/Doreen style, an avocado with some maple syrup or honey is a great pre-bedtime meal in my book!
Chuck - gotta love those runs. Especially the hills. It's like resistance put to a good cause. You fight the hill and struggle against gravity, fighting your way to the top, but then the hill smiles and rewards you with an incredible view and some downhill running on the other side!
Sanieh - hee hee we are proud!! You go, girl! Nice song, love that voice. Very beautiful ... can't wait to hear more (maybe on a CD I buy someday?!). For Doreen, she had a runny nose and congestion for about 3 weeks after she cut out dairy as her body detoxified. For me, it lasted about 1 1/2 weeks.
X - I know and remember Shinstrike well. That is sad news ... his board was one of the launching pads that led me on this remarkable journey - it was my first sense of "community" when I started Body-for-LIFE&trade back in August of 1999. My prayers go out to him.
"Lord, one of your children has become afflicted with a cancer that wages war with his body. Lord, we know you are the great healer. We know you can take this cancer away, out of his body, if it is thy will. We also know that sometimes, Lord, you have other plans that we don't know or understand. If it be thy will, Lord, we ask that you heal this generous person, who has helped so many live fit and healthy lives, and connect to others. He has brought people together in harmony who have both received and spread the Gospel, Good Lord. We ask for your healing, your annointing, your boundless mercy and endless love to pour out on this man. We ask this for all your children, Great Lord. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we ask it, Lord. Thy will be done. Amen."
Sparticus - you go witcha bad self, yo!
posted by Jeremy on 4/25/2003 8:13:15 AM |
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