My personal Fitness, Diet and Nutrition Plan for losing fat and staying fit : ) (1 Viewer)

[JonZ]

Bill,

I was able to view the Log.

Looks pretty good. dont forget Skullcrushers are most effective on a decline bench.

Your going for 8 reps. 12 must be a point when u cannot lift the weight again without a spot.

Good luck!!!

 

[Robert G]

JonZ
I have preset dumbells up to 65 lbs. right now. By the time I start a new program I will hopefully have up to around 85.
I also got my calve machine put together today. It is sweet. No more back breaking toe lifts.

 

[Chris PC]

Ok, the exact exercises I haven't quite pinned down yet, but lets look at the big picture, as I change from 4 days, each body part twice a week to 3 days working out each body part ONCE a week. So I want to come up with a workout plan for 3 days a week which works my body like this:
1) Chest
2) Legs
3) Back
Should I do it like this?
Monday
------
Chest and Triceps
Biceps
Shoulders
Tuesday
-------
Legs
Friday
------
Back
.......or
Should I put shoulders and/or biceps on other days?
I could logically put biceps on my back day, right?
I don't think biceps are a great big deal, and know that the triceps are 3/4 of the arm, but I would like to get my biceps a bit bigger along with everything else.
Thanks for help folks

 

[Dave Falasco]

Well I started Jon's routine today. Actually I shouldn't say I started for real, because I was mostly concerned with learning the motions and finding the correct weight for each exercise today (never having weight trained before). So far so good, but I'll let you know tomorrow how today's workout went.
And don't worry, Jon, I won't try to hit you up for a DVD. Just getting into my old jeans again will be reward enough!
Thanks again for all the advice and help, and I'll let you know how it's going. Assuming I can bend my arms to type tomorrow, after that dips/pushdowns superset.

 

[Bill Catherall]

Dave, I hope you're not too sore tomorrow. Those dips can be a killer if you're not used to them. How long did it take you to get through the weight training?
I started Jon's (or is that Jon'Z ) workout today too. I felt it was pretty tame. I still need to find just the right weight too. I've been used to picking my weights based off of doing more sets and working my way up each set instead of just going for the big ones.
Here's how I did it. Jon, tell me if this is right:
I was doing Chest - Triceps - Shoulders today. I started with a Fly superset followed by an Incline Dumbbell Press. I wanted to make a fast transition between fly and press so I grabbed one set of dumbbells for fly and one set for press (since I can't fly as much as I press) and sat down at the incline bench. I started with light weight just to warm-up and did 1 set of 8 Flies followed immediately with 1 set of 8 Presses. Then I went and grabbed some heavier weights. Something I thought was heavy but could do 8 full reps. I stretched for a minute and hit 1 set of 10 Flies (8 was too easy, 10 hurt, 12 would have been impossible) followed immediately with 1 set of 10 Presses (same thing). Then I stretched.
Moving on to the shoulders I grabbed 2 sets of weights. One for Laterals and one for Military Dumbbell Presses. Again, I started with light weights and did 1 set of 8 for each just to warm-up. I grabbed heavier weights, stretched, and did them again...1 set of 8 of each with no rest in between sets. Stretched.
Then I moved on to triceps. I was nervous to try Skullcrushers (and all the benches were being used) so I went with over the head raises. I needed a seat for those and it was across the room from the cable machines. So I set up the ropes on the cable machines and set the weight (light for warm-up). Then I grabbed a seat and a dumbbell and did a warm-up set, going from one side of the room to the other to complete both sets. I upped the weight and did it again, 1 set of 8 each. Stretched.
Done.
That's it? It took about 30 minutes. Am I missing something? It felt good. I felt the burn. I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm sore. I was about to leave, but felt like I didn't quite get in a good workout so I did 1 set of 8 dips and 2 sets of 50 crunches, then 20 minutes on a bike.
About the abs. I talked to a fitness instructor on Saturday (I hate talking to those guys because I always feel like they're trying to sell me something...they make used car salesmen look honest ) and he said that you can overwork abs and he recommends splitting up the abs into different groups and working them independently on different days. So I'm thinking upper abs on Mondays, lower abs on Wednesdays, and obliques on Fridays.
Here are my measurements listed as:
From May 4, 2002 to February 1, 2003 = Difference (-Loss, +Gain)
(I'm pretty sure there's some error in the results below, but they are what they are.)
% Body Fat: From 27.7% to 20.9% = -6.8%
Calf: From 16.25 in to 15.25 in = -1 in
Chest: From 45 in to 42.75 in = -2.25 in
Hip: From 46 in to 42 in = -3 in
Thigh: From 25.5 in to 22 in = -3.5 in
Upper Arm: From 12.5 in to 12.25 in = -.25 in
Waist: From 46 in to 38.25 = -7.75 in
(I know there's something weird there because I used to wear a size 40 and now my size 36 is too big.)
Weight: From 244 lbs to 195 lbs = -49 lbs
I'm sure that some of my weight could have been lost from muscle in my thighs. That's why a 49 lb loss with only a 6.8% body fat loss. I don't think they were fat enough to lose 3 inches from, and I didn't do any heavy leg training. Mostly cardio machines. So those muscles could have toned and I probably burned some of them off. Most of the fat was accumulated in the chest and belly.
I'm changing my diet very subtly. One thing I've been doing wrong is eating too much protein for breakfast (I couldn't absorb as much as I was eating) and not balancing fats, carbs, and proteins with each meal. So now my morning shake is getting split up and I'm drinking half of it with my mid morning snack. That should give my body more time to absorb the protein. I'm also eating a piece of fruit with my breakfast since I need some carbs at that meal. Everything else will be pretty close to the same thing as before, but I need to try to eat more. According to the trainer (who also boasts as being a nutritionist) I should be eating 3000 calories/day.

 

[Chris PC]

I've decided to start off with JON Z's:
Anywhere you see Cardio, it means Cardio or break.
I do abs 4 to 6 days a week whenever I feel like it
Sunday: Cardio
Monday: Chest,Shoulders,Triceps & Cardio* (short and sweet)
Tuesday: Cardio & ABS
Weds:Legs, (Cardio* before or after legs??)
Thurs:Cardio* (maybe if I can walk
Friday:Back,Biceps + Cardio
Saturday: Cardio
All of my Cardio days are days I CAN do cardio, not days I MUST DO CARDIO, especially ON my chest day or legs day. I just make a point of doing cardio 3 to 5 days a week. Out of seven available days, I can usually get in 4 to 5 days. I do cardio when I feel I have the energy but I'll try to keep it to a minimum of 3 days a week and probably not do more than 5 days a week.
MY QUESTION FOR TODAY
I am a little concerned that I will not be able to achieve a "ripped" stomach and abs. I don't think I've much more fat to lose in terms of % body fat, and yet I can't see my little "pot-belly" vanishing any time soon. I will make an effort though.
I think in order to shrink it to a minimum, burn it off (not likely), it will take my going to a very low body fat percentage. I'm not sure what is too low, and I'm not sure what is un-healthy. I am concerned that I will only be able to shrink the fat cells and that the fat cells cannot be burnt. That is of course why people have lipo. I don't think I want that. This is mostly academic, as I will do my best physically and be happy with my results. I really don't think I'd go so far as to have a medical procedure.
Out of curiosity, how many people here have gone from being 50 to 70 lbs overweight to having a rock hard stomach, without surgery? Do you know of anyone? Is it possible? What body fat level is healthy and maintainable?
In my early twenties I had my body fat tested at a less than trust-worthy gym and I weighed 173 LBS. I was not weak, and yet the machine said 25%. I highly doubt that. I am now at about 17% or so. Not sure. I'll check again. Its all kinda guess work. I'll use the machine as a rough relative gauge. The one I'm currently using is at my community gym and its one you hold in you hands.
These are my questions for today

 

[Robert G]

Hey Chris,

As I stated before I have lost 65 lbs. I had a large gut before and just this weekend received a huge compliment from a semi-stranger. My sister and a co worker stopped by when I was just waking up so I answered the door with just warm up bottoms on. Later on my sister told me that the coworker had said "man, your brother is working a six pack now isn't he". That made me feel ten feet tall after working so hard to go from fat to fit.

My point in all of that is to say that yes, you can do it. You must figure out what works for you though. As I stated earlier in the thread I went from doing massive numbers of reps to lower reps and more weight. This is the first time I have tried this for abs and for me, it works. One exercise that I strongly recommend is straight leg dead lifts. I do them on the day that I do my back workout but they not only work the back but also the abs. So for me, building a good base with the sit ups and so forth and then throwing on some heavier lifting has done the trick. I still have some work to do but I feel that I am headed in the right direction.

 

[John Stone]

I stopped smoking a little over 2 years ago and, since that time, I have put on over 50 pounds. I've always been in great shape and had a ripped body, but after 2 years of over-eating and no exercise, it's no great surprise that I look absolutely pathetic. So I decided that, as of January 6th, to start eating like I used to and working out everyday like I used to. Since January 6th I've lost 16 pounds and gone from 28% body fat to 23% body fat. I've been working out 45 minutes a day, 7 days a week (2 days weight training, 5 days cardio).
I cut out ALL beer and soda, started eating mostly complex carbs, low fat whole foods and tons of veggies (I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years, so this part was easy). I also drink nothing but water all day (at least ten 24-oz glasses). Other than water the only thing I will drink is a glass of OJ in the morning, some skim milk on my cereal, 2 cups of coffee, and an occasional glass of red wine).
My abs are coming back. I had quite a large pot belly, and in less than a month there has been a drastic difference in my body. So yes, you can get your 6-pack back! I have been documenting my progress each day with photographs, charts and logs. I never thought I would post a public link to this part of my site, but we're all in the same boat here, so perhaps it will provide some inspiration to others.
WARNING: Pictures of me in my underwear follow. Not for the weak-hearted.
http://www.twowiresthin.com/wl2003/
I've enjoyed reading this thread, and wish you all success with your plans. I am 100% committed to this new lifestyle, and there is no doubt in my mind that by this summer I will ripped and ready to hit the beach again!

 

[JonZ]

John, Great progress. Keep it up!

Bill,

I would suggest going up in weight a bit. After doing the pre-exhaust exercises you should "feel" it by rep 8 of the compound movement. Its good 10 was hard and 12 impossible.But 8 shouldnt be easy either. Try going up 5 or 10 pounds.

It shouldnt feel 'tame", but I know what ur saying. When I started that routine I felt I wasnt doing enough, but stuck with the routine as I read it and it yielded great results. I never felt tired going back in the gym and went up in weight constantly - which means progress. Just stick with it as u see it for 2 months.

 

[Chris PC]

John Stone,
Good work! That is a success for sure. What about some 3/4 or frontal shots? I'm not the weak of heart and those pictures are nothing to be concerned about. Obviously, with the fat loss, they can only leave a positive impression in the end
Could you elaborate more on your diet etc? I'd love to hear more about you're diet. I am moving towards vegetarian. Right now I mainly eat poultry and fish, and rarely if ever eat beef or pork. Eventually I want to eat only fish and then take a serious look at eating no flesh. Even if I don't go 100% veggie, I will move away from the 2 meals a day of meat diet. More like a few times a week. Who knows
I have to admit, when I look at those pictures, I find it rather hard to believe. Then again, I did something similar myself. When I look back, I went from a gut in October, to a much reduced gut in 3 weeks. I may try the picture taking thing myself, and maybe take some more measurements.
I am happy with my new plan of working out each body part once a week. I was back up to my peak for db press, at least for the first two sets. I guess I will just keep going and thats when the increases will happen. I wasn't planned for my workout though, and the gym was busy. Ugh, that was awkward.
Here's another question:
I was used to alternating body parts in the same workout like this: Chest then Back.
If I do Chest, triceps and shoulders, how should I alternate again? Two exercises per body part roughly? (On leg days, you do more of course cause you work alternate sides of your legs.)
Basically I want to know how to make my own workouts in terms of body part alternating. I will try the ones you guys suggested here, as I've cut and pasted each workout into a text file, but I want to know more so I can make my own workouts when I want a change. I guess I should read my Arnold book. Its just that the book is really for body builders, and not mortal humans
BTW, chest, triceps and shoulders could be a hard day it seems. I think I did too many shoulder exercises. Here's what I did:
Chest: db press
Shoulders: front raises and side raises
Triceps: dips
Chest: incline db press
Shoulders: military press
Triceps: Skull crushers
Something I forgot diet wise:
I used to eat peanut butter every day of my life, almost. Now that I don't eat toast, I NEVER eat peanut butter. I haven't eaten any for 3 months.
Also, a big bonus was my first thing in the morning walks and my night and/or late night walks. Why? Starts the metabolism early and makes sure its running until before you go to sleep, roughly. Also, I always grab a bite of a banana before my walk. Its so funny, you can feel your metabolism let go of the fat storing mode. If I go for a walk before eating, its not so bad, but I could sware I feel the body is still in fasting/store fat mode. I suppose you might still burn fat, or maybe you burn carbs/glycogen in your muscles , but eating that bite of banana just works for me. I'd say I eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of a banana before a morning walk. When I get back, I eat the rest of the banana in my bran flakes or shredded wheat and the only real sugar there is in my milk. Before lunch I eat another banana. For lunch, I eat whatever and then have another banana or something in mid afternoon. Its amazing what a few bites of banana do. The body just starts to work on the incredibly easy to digest banana and you walk, burning a few extra calories of fat and kick-starting your metabolism. I don't run first thing cause I've not got the energy, literally in my body for that. Again, I could before eating, but I suspect fat storage would be the rule. If I eat first thing and run before lunch, now that kicks the fat
FOOD FLASH!
I found this cool product called RICE. It looks like a block of cheese but its made from brown rice Its awesome. Has a bit of fat though, compared to the protein, but no sugar. Looks like a good source of protein.

 

[JonZ]

Chris remember that chest pressing movements also work ur shoulders.

I usually do chest triceps then shoulders so my shoulders can rest a bit. Ive noticed, for me it works better this way. If I do shoulders right after chest, my shoulders are usually too tired to work them hard.

Also when doing inclines make sure the bench isnt "too high" or it becomes a military type press involving shoulders more.

Franco Columbu and The Iron Guru Vince Gironda believed bench presses worked shoulders to much but keeping the bench at about 45 degrees should work best. You should feel them higher up in ur chest. In a few months youll really notice a difference up by your collarbone and where ur chest meets ur shoulders. A lot of older bodybuilders especially Mike Mentzer,felt that inclines was the best exercise for a impressive chest development

 

[Chris PC]

OK, so you do chest, then triceps and then shoulders? I guess triceps after chest can't be avoided. We obviously work triceps when working the chest, but what can you do right?
Yeah, the angle of the bench is rather tricky. So you say if it looks too inclined, too steep, then put it down, even if its below 45 degrees? So if you have to choose between 40 degrees and 50 degrees, choose 40 degrees? Depends on the bench. I think the bench does 45 degrees anyways, but ust in case.
thanks

 

[JonZ]

Yes, the higher the angle the more it becomes a military/shoulder exercise.

 

[Chris PC]

So 40 degrees rather than 50 degrees

 

[Bill Catherall]

Well, I'm not sore today. I'm usually sore for a couple days after my usual chest workouts. Today my chest feels fine. My shoulders are a little tired, but they're okay too. I'm sure I do need to up the weight a bit. I guess I'll have to move to barbells instead of dumbbells then, because I was using 55 lb dumbbells and I don't think I could safely pick up 60 lb dumbbells, lay down, do presses, then expect to get back up again while holding 60 lbs in each hand. :wink: And that still probably won't be enough weight.
But with a barbell I could probably lift 150-160 lbs. (I usually went as high as 185-190 lbs during a workout, but doing pre-exhausts I don't think I could get that high.) Nobody I know wants to workout with me at 5:30 am. I prefer to workout alone anyway.
I used to do flat bench and incline bench presses on the same day. I'm still going to keep giving this change a try and see what happens over the next few weeks. I've got to say though, I'm skeptical. Maybe that's a good thing. If you can convince the skeptical then you've got a sure thing. Right?

 

[John Stone]

Could you elaborate more on your diet etc?

Sure!
First, as I mentioned, I gave up all soda and beer. I was drinking 6-8 cokes every day, and I'd usually have 2 or 3 beers every night. Now I drink lots and lots of water. Water all day. The idea of a soda sounds bad to me at this point.
I am also taking a "One A Day" Men's Supplement.
BREAKFAST: I used to swim competitively, and I worked out twice a day for a total of about 4 hours per day (only one workout on Saturdays, Sunday off). I was in the pool or lifting weights at 6:00 AM every morning, so I guess I got in the habit of not eating breakfast. The workouts were very tough, and it would usually take until lunch time for my appetite to kick in. The point is I have never been a breakfast eater, so I don't have a lot to offer here. These days (I'm 34 now, BTW) I usually don't have anything but black coffee and maybe a glass of OJ. If I'm feeling hungry I have 1 Cup of Kashi whole grain cereal with 1/2 Cup skim milk, and maybe a banana. I am going to try your suggestion of eating a banana before my morning workout and see how I feel.
LUNCH: I often have a salad (greens, onions, Greek peppers, tomatos) with fat-free dressing and a few croutons. I also like the Health Valley vegetarian Texas Chili, as well as their Zesty Black Bean with rice (I add extra red pepper, they don't make it spicy enough for me). The Progresso 99% fat-free minestrone soup is really good, too.
Sometimes if I am not that hungry, I will just have a Slim Fast type weight loss shake. I'm trying to get away from that, though.
DINNER: I should start by saying I always make AT LEAST two of the following veggies, no matter what I'm having: Corn on the cob, spinach, peas, green beans, mixed veggies, broccoli, baked potato, carrots, salad.
I also like to make brown rice (takes longer to cook, but so much better for you than white), whole grain rolls (I eat two each evening, I love bread and refuse to give it up) and I use Parkay fat-free buttery spray (made from soybeans; I like it a lot).
With all the veggies I eat, I don't need a big "main" meal, so I like to cook stuff like veggie Fajitas with fresh Pico de gallo, whole grain pasta with tomato sauce (if you like meat in your sauce the Morning Star Farms line of vegetarian products is good), veggie pizzas, beans, soups, stuffed grape leaves, veggie burgers/hotdogs (Morning Star Farms and Boca Burgers are excellent).
If I'm feeling lazy, I'll make stuff like Healthy Choice Stuffed Shells with tomato sauce. Lean Cuisine has some tasty stuff too. I am trying to get away from those types of things since they are made with refined sugar.
I also like Morning Star Farms pizza for a rare treat. They have 18 grams of fat in them, but are good! California Pizza kitchen makes a great veggie pizza, but I won't eat those anymore since they contain about 45 grams of fat!
Grandma Maud's Red Beans and Rice and also their Bean Medley are excellent, and are great over brown rice with a couple of whole grain rolls. No fat, excellent source of protein and fiber.
There are a lot of great vegetarian things I used to eat, but won't mention here because they are definitely not "diet food".
I am thinking seriously about eating seafood again. Fish and shrimp are great sources of protein and are great for you in so many ways. I think shrimp and tuna are almost pure protein, and I'm going to need plenty of that as I nurse my atrophied muscles back to health.
SNACKS: Grapes, pretzels, apples, oranges, bananas, dry cereal.
I miss sloppy, buttery popcorn more than anything else.
There are a lot of other things I'm forgetting. I'll try and round up some good links to vegetarian recipes. Most of them are on my wife's computer, which is odd because she only cooks about once a month.
Thanks to all for the very inspiring posts in this thread.

 

[Chris PC]

Cool. Sounds good. I'll keep your diet and examples in mind. I'm doing cardio and abs today

 

[Robert G]

Great job John Stone. Keep up the hard work. I wish I had documented my 65 lb. weight loss and eventual muscle gain. Obviously I can see that I have made progress but pictures would really hit home.

 

[Chris PC]

Maybe I'll take pics now in order to re-start my process. I was lagging in the progress but now I'm getting back on track. My cardio is returning, my weight training should come back with my new weekly plan and I'll have to keep doing the fat loss. With my weight training plan in gear I am ok for strength, but I want to also maximize belly and spare tire fat loss.
Any comments on achieving the ripped tummy when you had a belly before?
Obviously, gaining muscle mass will affect the fat %, but when I talk of body fat %, I am focussing alot on the actual total amount of body fat. Its nice to see the % drop when you gain muscle, but getting rid of the actual fat itself is my goal.
Is it true that you don't eliminate fat cells when you burn fat, you only shrink them?
What is a safe %ercentage of body fat?
I would have to guess that getting below 10% is both difficult, un-neccesary and possible not healthy for most people. I figure if I was around 17% in December, and maybe 16 to 18% now, perhaps I'll aim for 12-14%?? Any suggestions on healthy and achievable body fat %?
thanks for any info,

 

[Dave Falasco]

Not that I am qualified to offer any diet tips, but I found something last night that may help some of you. I tend to go on these salty/sweet cycles where I crave something salty and end up eating chips or something, then afterwards I crave sweets, which is usually cookies or chewy granola bars, then salty, etc. Obviously all of those are out now, but I still get the salty/sweet craving...for sweet last night I tried a handful of raisins and they worked very well, and then for salty I bought some pickled hot peppers and they were fantastic. I actually bought a jar of pickles and I picked up the hot peppers to add to the pickle jar to give the pickles a little kick, but on a whim I decided to see how hot the peppers were (they weren't very hot) and I tried a few. Delicious!
The peppers I'm talking about are sold as sandwich toppers and are thin (maybe a quarter-inch thick) cross-sections of peppers. You can get them as jalepenos (such as you would put on nachos), or just "hot peppers", which is what I grabbed.
Keep in mind that while these don't have fat or many calories, they do have a lot of sodium (as all pickled products do, I imagine). So I wouldn't grab handfuls of them or anything. But if you're jonesing for some Doritos and you have to have a salt fix, three or four of those little slices do just the trick. And your mouth will have a nice tingle to it afterwards, which kind of kills any subsequent sweet cravings. Good stuff.
Oh, and I thought I was doing okay yesterday morning after starting Jon's workout on Monday...a little sore, a little tight, but nothing too bad. Then I woke up this morning...
It's hell getting old...