I'm going to be using several terms over and over again on this blog. I'm putting this post up as a repository for links to the key principles I will refer to often. I'm going to edit it as I add new posts. Please forgive me if this post keeps hitting your reader. Just tab through.
Body For Life (BFL) Glossary:
Small Frequent Meals (SFM)
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Lower Body Work Out (LBWO)
Upper Body Work Out (UBWO)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
High Intensity Interval Training: Sixty Minutes of Hell
On Body for Life, you only need to work out four hours a week. The catch is that each workout must be done at a high intensity. You make up for quantity with quality. While the program prescribes only three cardio workouts a week for twenty minutes a session, these three workouts include intervals as hard as you can go. This method of training is referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
I've been reading about the benefits of interval training since I started exercising regularly almost ten years ago. Runners use interval training to increase speed and aerobic capacity, or VO2Max. HIIT can also help rev up your metabolism more than lower interval cardio. Beginners can even use HIIT, even if your high intensity interval is walking one block faster than the last.
The benefits are undeniable. However, that's because it comes at a price. HIIT is hard work! If you are doing it right, at the peak of your interval, you are going as hard as you can. You can't talk, you can hardly breathe, and your heart is pounding out of your chest. The only way I get through the high points is reminding myself that it only lasts a minute. It's wonderful when you can drop back down to a moderate level for your recovery periods.
I can tell I've been improving through my interval workouts. When I started, my "ten" was in a 5th gear on the second ring on my bike. Now, it's the fourth gear on the biggest ring. I believe that HIIT really works, but I still think the best part is that it's over quickly!
I've been reading about the benefits of interval training since I started exercising regularly almost ten years ago. Runners use interval training to increase speed and aerobic capacity, or VO2Max. HIIT can also help rev up your metabolism more than lower interval cardio. Beginners can even use HIIT, even if your high intensity interval is walking one block faster than the last.
The benefits are undeniable. However, that's because it comes at a price. HIIT is hard work! If you are doing it right, at the peak of your interval, you are going as hard as you can. You can't talk, you can hardly breathe, and your heart is pounding out of your chest. The only way I get through the high points is reminding myself that it only lasts a minute. It's wonderful when you can drop back down to a moderate level for your recovery periods.
I can tell I've been improving through my interval workouts. When I started, my "ten" was in a 5th gear on the second ring on my bike. Now, it's the fourth gear on the biggest ring. I believe that HIIT really works, but I still think the best part is that it's over quickly!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Body Like Bond - Now on Twitter
I am a Hobbit - Is eating like Samwise Gamgee going to make me look like Daniel Craig?
Eating is my job. I'm serious. I am on a diet, and I eat every three hours. It's awesome. On the first day, the Misses said, "I can't believe I am eating again. This can't be right." (I forgot to mention the Misses is on board with the program too!)
That's the beauty of Small Frequent Meals (SFMs). A key tenant of the Body for Life Program is eating a balanced meal six times a day. Every three hours, I get a serving of protein, a serving of carbs, and sometimes, I get to add vegetables. Sure, there are "restricted" foods, but who in their right mind would think that eating fried chicken or McDonald's would be a part of getting a toned and fit body?
I have to admit, I'm a big fan. I've been trying to implement smaller, more frequent meals for a while now. I believe in the concept that by having food always available for your body to tap as energy, you encourage your body not to store food as fat. Also, your body knows that it's next meal is coming shortly, and that it doesn't have to slow down metabolism to prepare for a famine. The best thing about BFL is that since the Misses is on board, I've been able to make my dinners a little smaller allowing me to shift more calories to earlier in the day when my body needs them more.
I admit it, on this program, I'm a little hungry. But the big positive of SFMs is that since you know you know your next meal is just around the corner, pounding 8 ounces of water, chewing a stick (or five) of gum, or sipping a cup of tea will tide you over for the hour until your next meal. Also, I'm sure that some of my hunger is just adjusting from my previous 2,200 calorie a day diet to my new 1,800 calorie a day diet. It's nothing I can't handle as long as I remember my goals.
A typical day for me is a Myoplex Strength Shake after my workout in the morning, oatmeal and eggs as my second breakfast at nine, leftovers for lunch, a Myoplex Strength Bar for afternoon snack, chicken and pasta or rice for dinner, and my yummy late night treat. I drink about 12 cups of water a day. So far, it's working pretty well. 13 days in and I have met all my nutrition goals!
That's the beauty of Small Frequent Meals (SFMs). A key tenant of the Body for Life Program is eating a balanced meal six times a day. Every three hours, I get a serving of protein, a serving of carbs, and sometimes, I get to add vegetables. Sure, there are "restricted" foods, but who in their right mind would think that eating fried chicken or McDonald's would be a part of getting a toned and fit body?
I have to admit, I'm a big fan. I've been trying to implement smaller, more frequent meals for a while now. I believe in the concept that by having food always available for your body to tap as energy, you encourage your body not to store food as fat. Also, your body knows that it's next meal is coming shortly, and that it doesn't have to slow down metabolism to prepare for a famine. The best thing about BFL is that since the Misses is on board, I've been able to make my dinners a little smaller allowing me to shift more calories to earlier in the day when my body needs them more.
I admit it, on this program, I'm a little hungry. But the big positive of SFMs is that since you know you know your next meal is just around the corner, pounding 8 ounces of water, chewing a stick (or five) of gum, or sipping a cup of tea will tide you over for the hour until your next meal. Also, I'm sure that some of my hunger is just adjusting from my previous 2,200 calorie a day diet to my new 1,800 calorie a day diet. It's nothing I can't handle as long as I remember my goals.
A typical day for me is a Myoplex Strength Shake after my workout in the morning, oatmeal and eggs as my second breakfast at nine, leftovers for lunch, a Myoplex Strength Bar for afternoon snack, chicken and pasta or rice for dinner, and my yummy late night treat. I drink about 12 cups of water a day. So far, it's working pretty well. 13 days in and I have met all my nutrition goals!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Remembering Valentine's Day Past
For Valentine's Day in 2005, the Misses gave me the greatest give one could possibly give. She gave me my first weight bench!
She got it at Walmart. For $40. I'm pretty sure it was intended for 16 year old high school boys. It had a weight limit of 250 pounds, so If I was going to lift over 70 pounds, I would have violated the weight guide. She paired it with a quarter inch weight set from Sports Authority. It may have been the lamest weight set ever, but it was mine. Average Dave's was open for business.
It's hard to believe that this was six years ago. It doesn't seem like I've been lifting weights that long. I had to dig up the old log book just to make sure. Here is the log of my first workout on 2/14/2005:
Pushups 13/8
7/8
2/8
(The backspace is when I couldn't do any more real pushups and I switched to pushups from my knees.)
Bench 40lbs 9 reps
40lbs 12 reps
40lbs 10 reps
Flys 30lbs 12 reps
30lbs 12 reps
30lbs 12 reps
Curls 30lbs 12 reps
She got it at Walmart. For $40. I'm pretty sure it was intended for 16 year old high school boys. It had a weight limit of 250 pounds, so If I was going to lift over 70 pounds, I would have violated the weight guide. She paired it with a quarter inch weight set from Sports Authority. It may have been the lamest weight set ever, but it was mine. Average Dave's was open for business.
It's hard to believe that this was six years ago. It doesn't seem like I've been lifting weights that long. I had to dig up the old log book just to make sure. Here is the log of my first workout on 2/14/2005:
Pushups 13/8
7/8
2/8
(The backspace is when I couldn't do any more real pushups and I switched to pushups from my knees.)
Bench 40lbs 9 reps
40lbs 12 reps
40lbs 10 reps
Flys 30lbs 12 reps
30lbs 12 reps
30lbs 12 reps
Curls 30lbs 12 reps
30lbs 12 reps
30lbs 12 reps
Tricep Pushdowns
25lbs 12 reps
35lbs 12 reps
35lbs 12 reps
Pullups 7 seconds
7 seconds
6 seconds
(That's right, I couldn't do a Pullup. I would just hang from the bar to build up strength.)
Pulldowns
35lbs 12 reps
(I wrote "didn't like" here. I remember the lat attachment on that bench was terrible! I guess that's what you get for $40).
Rows 15lbs 12 reps
15lbs 12 reps
I miss that old bench. I sold it and the weights to Play it Again Sports a few years ago when I bought an Olympic Bench and weights off e-bay for $125.
AHHHH!!! It's not working! My body fat went up!
Yep, that's right, my body fat percentage increased from 20.5% on Day 1 to 20.9% on Day 8. I also dropped about three fourths of a pound, which would normally be good news. But corresponding with an increase in body fat, it means I lost more muscle than fat!!! I know that the first week is really just setting the table for the weeks to come, and that this is probably just a blip with my Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Scale, but it's disconcerting nonetheless.
I've been doing all my workouts, and making sure I hit at least 70% of my weight in grams of protein. I'm thinking that the key here is to relax and not worry about it. This isn't a linear journey, there are peaks and valleys along the way. Besides, the book tells you to not check progress until week 4, but I couldn't wait that long. So, I will stay the course!
Happy Valentines Day, All!
I've been doing all my workouts, and making sure I hit at least 70% of my weight in grams of protein. I'm thinking that the key here is to relax and not worry about it. This isn't a linear journey, there are peaks and valleys along the way. Besides, the book tells you to not check progress until week 4, but I couldn't wait that long. So, I will stay the course!
Happy Valentines Day, All!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
My Apologies
Due to the overwhelming feedback I received from my last post, I will no longer be writing in third person. It was not my intention to sound like Elmo or Kanye. When the misses says that I sound pompus, well, then it's time to change my writing style before I sound even pompouser.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Body for Life Battles: Willpower vs Temptation
This is the first post in a what will be a continuing series, Body for Life Battles. This series will chronicle those moments during the challenge when the temptation to veer off the BFL path is great and willpower must overcome the desire to give in. Appropriately, the first such temptation for BLB was at a place called Fatman's.
BLB thinks happy hours to recognize a colleague moving to a new department are valuable. They are a chance to connect with your new co-workers in a more casual setting and to catch up with old co-workers that you haven't seen in a while. In the information age, when your network is everything, they are essential career building events. However, there are three problems with them when you are doing a BLF challenge; pizza, wings and beer.
What was BLB to do? Not going was not an option. These events are few and far between. BLB already had plans for the Free Day on Saturday, and didn't want to waste the Free Day on this event. So that left giving in or developing a plan to stay "BFL Approved".
First of all, BLB knew the layouts for the buffets at these events, and knew that no lean protein options would be available. The spread was pizza, wings, and potato skins. Therefore, BLB bought a new BFL approved lunch, and saved the packed lunch for a small meal right before going. A full belly is powerful, it allows one to say "No, Thank You" to the delicious spread. And that's what BLB did.
On top of that, when the waitress asked BLB what he wanted to drink, the reply was "Diet Coke, Please." It was like some other being had possessed BLB to help make the right decision to stay on the program. Certainly, when one is used to drinking at these events, navigating them without a glass in hand can be daunting! However, the night was just as much fun with Diet Coke as it would have been with a beer. And by picking the Diet Coke, at least 200 calories were saved!
BLB made a graceful exit before temptation took another swing at him, and went home to enjoy his favorite night time snack, which will be revealed in a future post.
The score after round one? Willpower 1, Temptation 0
BLB thinks happy hours to recognize a colleague moving to a new department are valuable. They are a chance to connect with your new co-workers in a more casual setting and to catch up with old co-workers that you haven't seen in a while. In the information age, when your network is everything, they are essential career building events. However, there are three problems with them when you are doing a BLF challenge; pizza, wings and beer.
What was BLB to do? Not going was not an option. These events are few and far between. BLB already had plans for the Free Day on Saturday, and didn't want to waste the Free Day on this event. So that left giving in or developing a plan to stay "BFL Approved".
First of all, BLB knew the layouts for the buffets at these events, and knew that no lean protein options would be available. The spread was pizza, wings, and potato skins. Therefore, BLB bought a new BFL approved lunch, and saved the packed lunch for a small meal right before going. A full belly is powerful, it allows one to say "No, Thank You" to the delicious spread. And that's what BLB did.
On top of that, when the waitress asked BLB what he wanted to drink, the reply was "Diet Coke, Please." It was like some other being had possessed BLB to help make the right decision to stay on the program. Certainly, when one is used to drinking at these events, navigating them without a glass in hand can be daunting! However, the night was just as much fun with Diet Coke as it would have been with a beer. And by picking the Diet Coke, at least 200 calories were saved!
BLB made a graceful exit before temptation took another swing at him, and went home to enjoy his favorite night time snack, which will be revealed in a future post.
The score after round one? Willpower 1, Temptation 0
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
What's my goal here?
First of all, I should probably lay out my goals. I have three goals for this challenge:
- Decrease to 14% body fat from 20.5% today
- Drop to a 30" waist, from 33" today
- Bench 185 six times. Currently, on a good day, I can bench 155 six times
Why these goals?
For Body Fat, I'm not sure there is any good rationale for why 14%. According to Livestrong, 19% to 22.2% is "normal" for my age group. Clearly, I need to be better than normal or what's the point in all this. I've heard anecdotally that you need 12% body fat to get ab definition, but I don't know if that's manageable in these 12 weeks. One of the main stories in the Champions Body for Life book that will be my guide is BFL Champion Mark Unger. As a skinny fat man like me, I can relate to Mark. Therefore, I figure if he can lose 12% body fat during his challenge, I should be able to do a little better than half that in mine. Hence, 14%.
The waist goal is pure vanity. For some reason, I've always held a 32" waist to be the waist of a thin man. I have a 33" waist now, so 32" wouldn't be that much of a challenge. Plus, I really like Banana Republic pants, and I think they cut them small. If I have a 30" waist, I'll probably fit in their 32"s.
At the NBA Draft Combine, potential NBA players are asked to bench 185 pounds as many times as they can. Before his rookie year, Kevin Durant couldn't do one rep. Wouldn't it be cool to be better than the Durantula at something sort of athletic? (Sure, after four years in an NBA weight room, I'm sure he can now. Let's pretend that's not true, OK?)
So, there you go. That's the targets. Let me know what you think!
Starting Body for Life February 7
Here I am, 32 years old, a father of two, and a finance manager. When looking for what's missing in your life, do you ever think, "six pack abs and chest definition"? I know I sure do. That's why when my company put out a call to start the twelve week Body for Life Challenge, I answered the call. What is BFL? Its a 12 week exercise and nutrition program designed to help you build lean muscle mass and burn fat. It's a program to get six pack abs and chest definition. In a way, it will help you look like the modern incarnation of James Bond.
Alright, so, clearly this program is going to demand some intense workouts and a balanced diet of nutritious food. But will I make it through the 12 week challenge? Will I reach my goals? Let's find out.
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