Week 10...With A Cold

I came down with a nasty head cold on Friday. I skipped my cardio session and did none of my daily calisthenics over the weekend. Today I still feel like crud, but wanted to get in a workout to get the blood pumping. Here's some irony: due to my 3-day rest, I felt stronger, but due to the cold, I had less energy. That meant feeling strong on my exercises but not feeling like I could bust out set after set.

So this is week 10 already. I still have "fat" days, where my midsection doesn't feel as tight as other days. Today is one such day, where I feel the definition I could see in my previous photos is a bit blurred today. Oh well. Still have a few weeks to get the formula nailed down for the final photos.

Today's numbers:
Weight: 149.8 lbs.
Waist: 30.5" (and that's being generous to the tape measure)

Turning A Corner

I've started to notice a pretty significant transition this week. This morning, my waist measurement was 30.5"...which is the first time it's been that small in many months (probably when I was running 40+ miles/wk. I hit 29.9" right before my marathon last year...but with far less muscle). Granted, my waist measurement fluctuates about a half an inch on any given morning, based on water retention and bloating (yes, I AM a man), but it's a good sign. Also, just the visual cues are telling me that I'm getting a little leaner. There seems to be more definition between the abs.

So...the suffering I spoke of earlier this week may not be as intense as I expected. My current diet isn't terribly extreme, yet progress is being made. I'll continue as-is until I see the progress stalling. One key is to very gradually coax the fat loss. Unless you have a LOT of bodyfat to lose (i.e. Biggest Loser contestant), you don't want to lose too much, too soon. That causes the body to go into starvation mode, which forces the body to conserve fat by slowing the metabolism. As my goal date approaches, I'll be constantly evaluating my status to determine what subtle changes need to be made.

As I spoke on my running blog about balance, I think I'm finding balance in this quest. My body told me I was starting to overtrain, so I cut back from 3 weight workouts and 3 aerobic sessions per week to two each (still doing pushups, pullups, situps, dips and squats daily). It seems to be working. My energy level has been good. Part of that is probably attributed to a cleaner diet, too, although I haven't been getting enough sleep (work has been crazy).

Speaking of diet...here are a couple of key things I've been doing, aside from eliminating processed sugar (well, 95% of it). My lunch is probably the most affected meal of my day. A typical lunch now consists of a half sandwich, large carrot and a large whole apple (today, I added a mini orange). For the sandwich, the only condiment I use is mustard (zero calories). I add one slice of ham, one slice of turkey, one slice of cheddar cheese, two cucumber slices and some lettuce. As a mental trick, I cut the half sandwich in half, so it looks like I have two halves. Silly, maybe, but it seems like I'm eating more. I've noticed that my stomach capacity has decreased, so I get full easier. Like I said, I'm monitoring my weight closely, and if it drops too quickly, I'll increase the intake slightly.

Finally, here are a couple of shots after today's workout.

Week 9 (Here Comes The Suffering)

It's already week 9 in this silly quest, which means it's time for the major deprivation to begin. I've already been watching chocolate chip cookies disappear into the mouths of my wife and kids, as I take another bite of my daily apple. Well, I've been sneaking a small treat here and there, actually, but this week begins the "no processed sugar" portion of my self-torture quest for sharp six-pack abs.

As you may have deduced, I'm pretty much playing this by ear (or, by mirror and tape measure). I refuse to count calories. It's too hard. I'm too lazy. I'm simply eliminating most foods that have a lot of calories with little bulk, in favor of lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and dairy (light on the cheese). Most of my protein will come from chicken breasts, eggs, natural peanut butter and nonfat milk. I'm not sure if I have the guts to completely cut out coffee, as I previously stated I would. I've cut way back, but life without my little cup of gold every morning may not be worth living.

WORKOUT NOTES:
I've noticed, as my diet has become stricter and I'm starting to drop a little weight, that my overall strength seems to be declining just a little. I'm not sure if that's an effect of insufficient calories or waning motivation. I've been feeling tired and weak lately. I will say that my workload the last several weeks has been pretty intense (and stressful), and I have never been able to deal with stress all that well (well, running certainly helps, but I won't be able to do that again for awhile).

From here on out, I'm going to be less concerned with hitting PB's in my exercises and focusing more on lifting with very good form and keeping my muscles under tension for a good period of time during each set. I've incorporated standard planks into my core routine. I used to do them regularly, but haven't for a couple of years. So those, along with weighted crunches and hanging leg raises comprise my abs routine.

Eh, what the heck. I'll throw up some photos, even though I have yet to see much of a difference from week to week. Actually, the one thing I notice is more vascularity in my forearms in the top photo. I'm assuming that's from a slightly lower bodyfat level. Or, maybe I was just flexing them harder today.

Week 8

The weeks are moving by quickly. No photo this week, since they're a bit redundant at this point, although there are some minor changes taking place. First, here are my usual weekly numbers:

Weight: 153 lbs.
Waist: 30.9"

The biggest change is that I finally broke through the 31" barrier in my waist measurement. I'd like to hit 30" on the nose by the end of February.

I decided to change up some exercises during Friday's workout, with good results. I was sore in the right places for a couple of days after. Repeating the same workout over and over allows your body to adapt and to quit progressing, so it's good to mix it up from time to time (as long as there's still a way to track progress).

Diet-wise, I'm still in a holding pattern; not being too strict, but watching the sweets and meal portions. I've apparently hit a perfect balance of calories in vs. calories out, since my weight has more or less been the same since I started this quest 8 weeks ago. I'd like to think that more of it is muscle and less is fat since the beginning, but I have no way to know for sure (my body fat scale isn't terribly accurate).

Beginning next week, I'll start slowly adjusting my diet. I've already cut out all soda pop, most refined sugar, and have cut way back on my caffeine intake. My lunch is the biggest change, as it's heavy on raw fruits and veggies. If I have a sandwich, it's with one slice of bread and no mayo.

That's about all I have to report at this time. Soon, I'll see real progress and should be able to monitor how my body reacts and whether or not I'm getting enough calories (although I probably won't be counting them).

Cheers!

Week 7; Two Weeks Until "Tighten Up" Time

Hey y'all! Hope you had a nice New Year's Eve & the new year is treating you well so far.
Thus begins Week 7 of my quest. My plan is to eat fairly normally (but under control) until about mid-January. From there until the end of January, my diet will change slightly; slightly smaller portions and very minimal processed sugar. Then, starting February, I'll institute a specific eating plan (which I'll detail as the time approaches).

Here's this week's stats:
Wt: 154.2 lbs.
Waist: 31.4"

In lieu of the regular comparison photos, I thought I'd post a shot taken during my workout this morning (in my very cold garage):

Still some fat to lose, but I won't have to starve to do so. Plus, I'm finally doing some regular cardio.

Week 6; My Workout Routine

My stats for this week are:

Weight: 154 lbs.
Waist: 31.3"
I'm skipping photos this week for three reasons:

1. There's very little noticeable difference from week to week so far
2. The last photos I posted are from just 4 days ago, and
3. Quite frankly, I'm tired of looking at my nearly naked body (and I'm guessing you are, too)

I'll post them more frequently starting late January, since my refined diet will be in place.

What I will do, however, is talk a little about my current workout routine, since a few people have asked about it.

I'll start with the usual spiel regarding us all being an experiment of one, everyone's body reacts differently to a given stimulus, yadda, yadda (it's true, though). I'll also mention that I rarely stay on a particular routine for an extended period because the body only changes if it sees a reason to (plus, I get bored). For a short period of time, a given stimulus will cause the muscles to rebuild a little larger and stronger so they can cope with an unexpected stressor. But if that same activity (same reps, same weight, same rest period) is continued for a prolonged period, the muscles will stop adapting, since nothing is changing. It doesn't take a complete restructuring of a routine to continue the growth/strength gains. It can be as simple as slightly increasing the weight, reducing rest periods, changing the rep schemes, doing the exercises in a different order, etc.

With all that said, here's my current routine. I won't list the amount of weight I use, because that's very individualized.

MON (Pulling muscles: 90 sec rest between sets)
5 min. warmup on Schwinn Airdyne
Pullups - 3 sets
BB deadlifts - 2 warmup sets, 2 heavy work sets (5-6 reps each)
DB bent rows - 2 sets of 8-10 reps per arm
DB/BB curls - 2 sets of 8-10 reps
Weighted situps (holding plate to chest) - 3 sets (I alternate these with the next exercise)
Hanging leg raises - 3 sets

TUES

20 minute spin on the Airdyne
1 set each of pushups, pullups, situps, hanging dips

WED (Pushing muscles: 90 sec rest between sets)
5 min. warmup on Schwinn Airdyne
BB bench press - 1 warmup set, 3 works sets (6-10 reps each)
BB (or DB) military press - 2 sets (8-10 reps ea)
DB overhead extensions OR hanging dips - 2-3 sets
DB squats (holding dumbbells at sides) - 2 sets (10-15 reps)
DB fly/press (inclined on bench) - 2 sets (8 reps of each movement)

THURS

same as Tues

FRI

"Beach work"
(meaning the "showy" muscles; arms, shoulders)
I might do a few sets of curls, triceps exercises, lateral raises for shoulders, etc. Basically, I'm giving the major muscle groups a rest from the big lifts, like bench presses and deadlifts (I LOVE deadlifts, but they're very hard on the body if done with heavy weights and potentially dangerous, as witnessed by my separated shoulder back in '04)

SAT

"4 Minute Drill"
I'll do as many pushups, pullups, situps and hanging dips in 4 minutes (doing each exercise for 4 minutes, resting several minutes, then doing the next, etc.) These can get pretty intense. It's fun to see what approach gets me the most reps (i.e. low reps, short rest, medium rest, medium rest, etc).

SUN

rest

I just started splitting my workouts like this. Previously, I was doing my entire body in one workout, but as I increased the weight and sets, it was just too much (i.e. I almost passed out a couple of weeks ago).

I'll make a few changes to this routine over the course of the next few weeks. I'll be reducing the rest periods between sets to 60 seconds for a few weeks, then 45 seconds, then 30 seconds the last couple of weeks in February. Consequently, the weights will have to decrease a little. I'll be operating on a slight calorie deficit, so my strength will decline a bit (plus, I'll give my muscles less time to recover). I'm hoping the increased intensity will result in more fat burning and limited muscle loss.

I'll also gradually increase my cardio. If my heel obeys, I'll add in some walking a few days per week, and I'll change one of my easy Airdyne spins per week to an interval session.

Along with drinking lots of water and getting adequate sleep, that's about it. Oh, I am planning on weaning myself off of caffeine the next few weeks, mostly for personal reasons (not that it's necessary for this project). That's the only substance I've been addicted to in my life, and it's always a killer to get off of it. Refined sugar will also be a no-no. I may post my diet when the time comes, too. I think I've got it pretty much planned out.

Of course, everything I've just posted is subject to change if things aren't working ;-)

Hope I didn't bore you to tears, but hopefully I shared something helpful. Remember, I'm just a scrawny runner that got into weight lifting many years ago during the times I wasn't running...so I'm no expert. I'm still learning as I go.

Week 5.5 (Okay, I Lied)

Insane workload or not, I NEEDED to get in at least one workout this week. Today marks one month since I publicly stated my goal of developing a defined six-pack by the end of February 2011. According to the photos, not much has changed. I may have gained a bit of muscle mass, but my weight and waist measurements are virtually unchanged. Due to my heel injury, I've done very little cardio work...which means diet and weight training are the key factors in the loss of bodyfat I’ll need to achieve in order to expose the elusive washboard abs. I've started using additional resistance in my crunches (holding a weight plate on my chest), along with hanging leg raises. Admittedly, I'm kind of in a holding pattern until about mid-January, when I'll start adjusting my diet. Until then, I'm trying to maintain control, while still enjoying holiday goodies. The workouts will become more intense as well. The rest periods I'm currently using between sets (currently 90 seconds) will be reduced around that time as well.

Okay, here are the (somewhat redundant) photos:

Have a Merry Christmas, folks!