Reving up the motor again -Update 12-17

[Syrch]

12-17-07: Didn't get to buy a scale this weekend and my weight chart that i had saved is missing but IIRC i've lost 2 inches on the gut. I had someone come in my office today (who had no idea i was doing anything) and flat out ask me how much weight i've lost, its been two weeks. That felt pretty good. Going to keep on chugging along.



Well its been about two years, damn time flew, since i was really serious about the gym. The last time I was going I lost 84 pounds in 6 months with the help of a trainer and a nutritionist. The only reason i stopped is my company moved me from Florida to Illinois in February and it was just too damn cold for my body to get to the gym. After it warmed up to something I was used to I was already out of the routine.

Anyhow, I have now been moved out to Arizona 40 pounds heavier (damn you IL food damn you!) and have started working out again. This is my second week thus far and will be getting a scale this weekend to measure where I am.

For those curious this is my routine

Exercise
3 days straight cardio
3 days cardio and Weights
6 days total

Cardio sessions last anywhere from 30-45 minutes.
Weights last as long as it takes me to complete that muscle group for the day, say back and biceps

Diet is as follows:

6 meals a day with each meal being 300 calories with 30 grams of protein and carbs.
For example today:

6am egg whites wrapped in a 100 calorie wrap
9am Myoplex Protein bar
12pm A pizza that i make with fat free cheese the 100 calorie wrap and turkey pepperoni
3pm Protein Shake
5pm Gym
6pm (ish) Chicken breast with a veggie, usually broccoli
9pm Some sort of protein shake in a desert like presentation (myoplex recipes)

I'm not sure why im posting this. Last time I got back on my routine it failed due to not having my trainer and not really working out with anyone. I suppose I'm hoping to find some where to at least talk about my accomplishments as i go.


**I should add that this is for fat burning and not muscle Building for those that aren't familiar with the differences. I would hate for someone to read this and think they'd gain a ton of muscle following this routine.

 

[GenHoth]

I find that working out isnt too hard in the winter here. I spend most of my time shoveling the walk and driveway, putting out rock salt and hauling away fallen branches :laugh:

Good luck with your new regimen!

 

[GenHoth]

Originally posted by: Syrch

**I should add that this is for fat building and not muscle burning for those that aren't familiar with the differences. I would hate for someone to read this and think they'd gain a ton of muscle following this routine.

late night? :laugh:

 

[Syrch]

haha sorry about that, early morning actually

 

[thespeakerbox]

How much do you weigh now? 2100 seems pretty low if you weight over 200 lbs.

Add in some PB or cottage cheese before bed.

Make sure all cardio is HIIT.

For lifting, stick to compound lifts that will involve lots of muscles and really make you work. For example: bench, deadlift, squats, power cleans, and other olympic style moves. Go for strength and not size, so stick around 3x 12 reps or 4 x 12. Proper form is everything for these!

Work hard and dont rest between sets for too long and that fat will melt off!

 

[Syrch]

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
How much do you weigh now? 2100 seems pretty low if you weight over 200 lbs.

Add in some PB or cottage cheese before bed.

Make sure all cardio is HIIT.

For lifting, stick to compound lifts that will involve lots of muscles and really make you work. For example: bench, deadlift, squats, power cleans, and other olympic style moves. Go for strength and not size, so stick around 3x 12 reps or 4 x 12. Proper form is everything for these!

Work hard and dont rest between sets for too long and that fat will melt off!

actually 300x6 is 1800 calories and thats if i hit all 300 on every meal. Right now im 320ish my best is 280. I want to be 300 by christmas and I know i can pull that off i just got to keep my lazy butt at the gym.

My cardio goes like this, i'll give you the full normal 30 mins session

first number will be speed second will be incline in minute intervals

First 5 minutes
3.0 3.0
4.0 5.0
4.0 6.0
4.0 7.0
5 4.0 8.0

5-10 minutes
3.5 4.0
4.0 6.0
4.0 7.0
4.0 8.0
4.0 9.0

11-15 minute
3.5 4.0
4.0 6.0
4.0 7.0
4.0 8.0
4.0 9.0

16-20 min
3.5 4.0
4.0 7.0
4.0 8.0
4.0 9.0
4.0 10.0

20-25 min
3.5 4.0
4.0 8.0
4.0 9.0
4.0 10.0
4.0 11.0

25-30min
3.5 4.0
4.0 9.0
4.0 10.0
4.0 11.0
4.0 12.0

During that 30 mins with a 5 min cooldown at the end i'll burn around 700 calories (two meals)

as you can see its HIIT. I never let my body get into a groove. By the 30 min mark i feel like im about to fall off the damn treadmill but it feels great.

For Weights i use sissy weights in deed. Right now since i haven't done it in a while i push for 4sets of 12 but on some exercises towards the end its usually 3 sets of 12. Once im back into it i'll be back at 4 sets of 12/15 for everything.

I do a ton of free weight exercises that work all the smaller muscles and the bigger muscles thus burning more fat. I'm heavy on low weight squats and lunges and during leg day I end up doing over 100 squats of various forms. When at the gym im the big guy with little weight sweeting my butt off and people don't know why I hardly rest. If i do a set of something I'll hit a set up push ups or leg ups in between or work another muscle group. i don't give myself anything more than 90 seconds in between sets and thats usually towards the end of the work out when im pretty much spent.

Thankfully I had the personal trainer before to teach me these methods. Prior to this i was a football jock and had the mind set more weight more weight more weight. How wrong i was.

 

[Syrch]

as far as PB or cottage cheese im still a bit weary on that. Theres a ton of fat in both, though i know its not bad fat. I tend to stick to very lean things. At the end of the night i want something my body can digest easy.

 

[Cstefan]

Hey. @320 1800 is super low. 2500 is much safer till you get around 250 then drop to 2000. I topped out at 360 so take it from some experience. I got sick and lost 65-70lb in about 3 months cutting too low. Sure, coming to work every day and seeing another 1-2lb off was fun but now I have a hell of a hard time losing.

 

[Syrch]

You think so? My nutritionist put me on that eating program. each meal consists of 30 carbs and protein for a total of 180 each a day. All throughout it while working with my trainer i felt fine. Never got sick, never got light headed. My trainer even had me running bleachers in august in South florida at one point.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Syrch

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
How much do you weigh now? 2100 seems pretty low if you weight over 200 lbs.

Add in some PB or cottage cheese before bed.

Make sure all cardio is HIIT.

For lifting, stick to compound lifts that will involve lots of muscles and really make you work. For example: bench, deadlift, squats, power cleans, and other olympic style moves. Go for strength and not size, so stick around 3x 12 reps or 4 x 12. Proper form is everything for these!

Work hard and dont rest between sets for too long and that fat will melt off!

as you can see its HIIT. I never let my body get into a groove. By the 30 min mark i feel like im about to fall off the damn treadmill but it feels great.

your routine is anything BUT HIIT.

 

[Syrch]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Syrch

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
How much do you weigh now? 2100 seems pretty low if you weight over 200 lbs.

Add in some PB or cottage cheese before bed.

Make sure all cardio is HIIT.

For lifting, stick to compound lifts that will involve lots of muscles and really make you work. For example: bench, deadlift, squats, power cleans, and other olympic style moves. Go for strength and not size, so stick around 3x 12 reps or 4 x 12. Proper form is everything for these!

Work hard and dont rest between sets for too long and that fat will melt off!

as you can see its HIIT. I never let my body get into a groove. By the 30 min mark i feel like im about to fall off the damn treadmill but it feels great.

your routine is anything BUT HIIT.

How so? The incline is what makes it intense and going from a 6 degree to a 12 degree is very much noticble one the heart and workout

How HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training Works

1. Pick any type of cardiovascular method (running, swimming, recumbent bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, etc).
2. Determine your Maximum Heart Rate or MHR. To do this take 220 ? your age.
3. Wear a heart rate monitor (optional).
4 . Make sure you take some time to warm up to get your body temperature raised before you begin.
5 . Now begin your cardiovascular training at 75% MHR intensity for 30 seconds and then bring your intensity down to a slow dull pace for 90 seconds.
6. Repeat step 5 but bring your intensity up each time. Complete a total of 3-7 intervals in total. You'll be surprised with the results.

By the time im at my last "rep" of cardio my heart rate is atleast 220. As it says in step six you keep repeating but bringing the intensity up.

And from Wikipedia

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions.

A HIIT session involves a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period. The period of alternating effort and recovery intervals typically lasts a total of 15 minutes.

Think of it this way. If you are driving from baltimore to washington DC how would you burn more gas.

Driving there straight at 80mph total or driving there going from 70 to 80mph intervals slowing down and speeding up constantly

 

[Cstefan]

See if it works but 1800 is pretty low for 320. Either way, the first 40-60 lb should come off pretty fast.

 

[Syrch]

my goal is to get to about 250 and see where i am at. When i was with my nutrionist i had roughly 150 pounds of muscle 80 pounds in bone 100 pounds in fat and 40ish pounds in water. That is when i was over 360 though. So i'd like to see how i look and how much more i want to do once at around 250. Of course i know this is something you do until you die but I'd guess i can cut from 6 days a week to 4-5 days a week in the gym.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Syrch

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Syrch

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
How much do you weigh now? 2100 seems pretty low if you weight over 200 lbs.

Add in some PB or cottage cheese before bed.

Make sure all cardio is HIIT.

For lifting, stick to compound lifts that will involve lots of muscles and really make you work. For example: bench, deadlift, squats, power cleans, and other olympic style moves. Go for strength and not size, so stick around 3x 12 reps or 4 x 12. Proper form is everything for these!

Work hard and dont rest between sets for too long and that fat will melt off!

as you can see its HIIT. I never let my body get into a groove. By the 30 min mark i feel like im about to fall off the damn treadmill but it feels great.

your routine is anything BUT HIIT.

How so? The incline is what makes it intense and going from a 6 degree to a 12 degree is very much noticble one the heart and workout

How HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training Works

1. Pick any type of cardiovascular method (running, swimming, recumbent bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, etc).
2. Determine your Maximum Heart Rate or MHR. To do this take 220 ? your age.
3. Wear a heart rate monitor (optional).
4 . Make sure you take some time to warm up to get your body temperature raised before you begin.
5 . Now begin your cardiovascular training at 75% MHR intensity for 30 seconds and then bring your intensity down to a slow dull pace for 90 seconds.
6. Repeat step 5 but bring your intensity up each time. Complete a total of 3-7 intervals in total. You'll be surprised with the results.

By the time im at my last "rep" of cardio my heart rate is atleast 220. As it says in step six you keep repeating but bringing the intensity up.

And from Wikipedia

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions.

A HIIT session involves a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period. The period of alternating effort and recovery intervals typically lasts a total of 15 minutes.

Think of it this way. If you are driving from baltimore to washington DC how would you burn more gas.

Driving there straight at 80mph total or driving there going from 70 to 80mph intervals slowing down and speeding up constantly

1. you are supposed to do intervals of 30 - 60 seconds going from your high intensity to your low intensity, where the high intensity and low intensity speeds are the same. so you should go from 5mph to 12mph every 30-60 seconds, whichever works for you.

2. you are supposed to do it for no longer than about 15 minutes, and typically if you are doing it properly, it's tough as balls to even make it 15 minutes. if you are lasting 30 minutes you aren't doing HIIT and need to up your intensity.

what you are doing first of all is very slow speeds. you don't even hit a job on your cardio. and then if you are considering the incline to be the "high intensity" part of your workout, you are doing that wrong too. you are starting at 4 and then gradually going up to 8 over a 5 minute period. you should be doing that switch at one interval, not over a period where you change at 4 intervals.

i guess there are different ways to do HIIT but your way does not seem high intensity in the least. you should feel like you are going to "fall off the treadmill" as you say at about the 8-10 minute mark of doing HIIT.

 

[Syrch]

I do feel that way at the 8-10 mark without a doubt. But with this cardio i continously push myself to the 30 min mark to were i truly feel like im done. Its to the point where i could barely stand and look straight at someone. Takes me a good few minutes to recover after that very end. At 10 mins im out of breathe and exhausted but I don't stop i keep pushing.

You also have to remember, im not 180 pounds. 4.0 is a good brisk walk..10 degree incline is quite a bit. When i was at the point of losing 84 pounds i was at 4.5 speed with a 22 degree incline. I wish i still had access to that treadmill but no gyms around me go above 15 degree

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Syrch
I do feel that way at the 8-10 mark without a doubt. But with this cardio i continously push myself to the 30 min mark to were i truly feel like im done. Its to the point where i could barely stand and look straight at someone. Takes me a good few minutes to recover after that very end. At 10 mins im out of breathe and exhausted but I don't stop i keep pushing.

You also have to remember, im not 180 pounds. 4.0 is a good brisk walk..10 degree incline is quite a bit. When i was at the point of losing 84 pounds i was at 4.5 speed with a 22 degree incline. I wish i still had access to that treadmill but no gyms around me go above 15 degree

oh what you are doing is awesome and i commend you on sticking too it, and i'm not saying it's a walk in the park or anything. i'm just simply stating that it's not really HIIT in the traditional sense and wouldn't want someone to get misinformed by something they read on here, thats all.

 

[thespeakerbox]

Your body needs that type of fat and protein. It helps you lose weight.

And your calories are way too low. Youll end up losing about 40lbs of any muscle you have and get stuck in a plateau and just gain the weight back like you did before. Learn to change your lifestyle. That includes a sensible diet. That means it has to actually make sense. You need healthy fats in your diet if you expect to lose weight. Your macros should be around 40-40-20. That's 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat.

Good fat comes from nuts like almonds, good oils like EVOO and other sources like supps (fish oil). From how you are responding to posters, I think you should grab a book on nutrition and start reading.

Youre 320 and you want to be 300 by christmas? That's just plain retarded. Sorry but its true!

A normal man at 320 has to consume 4800 calories a day to maintain that weight and even more to gain.

You should aim to eat 4300 and lowering it steadily as you drop weight SAFELY.

A good rule of thumb is your bodyweight x 15 - 500 for losing weight.

Once you get stuck , and you will, start to carb cycle, and increase cardio. Eat one day of high cards , one low and one with almost none. This will kick your body back into weight loss mode. Eat GOOD carbs. If you dont know what those are, I suggest you get a book. Goodluck.

 

[spamsk8r]

1800 cals is pretty low. I'm 223 lbs. (from 231) cutting to 185 and I'm taking in 2200 calories a day, and losing at a good rate. I'm also not losing any muscle or strength (actually gained 2 pounds of muscle), and lost 10 pounds of fat. I would definitely up the calories to at least 2500 a day. But 4300 a day is way too much, I've known guys who were almost 400 pounds who at about 2200 calories a day and lost over 100 pounds in a year, without sacrificing much muscle mass. They would not have lost hardly anything eating 4300 calories a day. For heavier individuals the 15x multiplier just does not work.

 

[thespeakerbox]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
1800 cals is pretty low. I'm 223 lbs. (from 231) cutting to 185 and I'm taking in 2200 calories a day, and losing at a good rate. I'm also not losing any muscle or strength (actually gained 2 pounds of muscle), and lost 10 pounds of fat. I would definitely up the calories to at least 2500 a day. But 4300 a day is way too much, I've known guys who were almost 400 pounds who at about 2200 calories a day and lost over 100 pounds in a year, without sacrificing much muscle mass. They would not have lost hardly anything eating 4300 calories a day. For heavier individuals the 15x multiplier just does not work.

The idea is not to stay at 4300 but to start there and go down quickly, week by week, not just a big shock!

 

[Syrch]

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
Your body needs that type of fat and protein. It helps you lose weight.

And your calories are way too low. Youll end up losing about 40lbs of any muscle you have and get stuck in a plateau and just gain the weight back like you did before. Learn to change your lifestyle. That includes a sensible diet. That means it has to actually make sense. You need healthy fats in your diet if you expect to lose weight. Your macros should be around 40-40-20. That's 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat.

Good fat comes from nuts like almonds, good oils like EVOO and other sources like supps (fish oil). From how you are responding to posters, I think you should grab a book on nutrition and start reading.

Youre 320 and you want to be 300 by christmas? That's just plain retarded. Sorry but its true!

A normal man at 320 has to consume 4800 calories a day to maintain that weight and even more to gain.

You should aim to eat 4300 and lowering it steadily as you drop weight SAFELY.

A good rule of thumb is your bodyweight x 15 - 500 for losing weight.

Once you get stuck , and you will, start to carb cycle, and increase cardio. Eat one day of high cards , one low and one with almost none. This will kick your body back into weight loss mode. Eat GOOD carbs. If you dont know what those are, I suggest you get a book. Goodluck.

I appreciate your input and im not going to kill myself trying to lose that weight by christmas, its a three week goal that i know isn't the most realistic. I did however have a trained nutritionist watching my body as i did my diet before and the only thing i was losing was excess water weight (waste) and body fat. In that time i actually put 5 pounds of muscle on. The only reason i put the weight back is b/c i would go to portillos 2x times a day and then eat buffalo wild wings for dinner. I got lazy and completely stopped my routine and do nothing but kick myself in the butt for it. While i was on it i never once felt weak or unhealthy. I actually felt better than I ever did. As I said i was achieving goals that i never thought I would be able to do again. Im not arguing your points im simply pointing out the facts of what has happened. I did not gain weight by going to the gym and working out. I gained it for not following the routine and eating fast food.

 

[Syrch]

Didn't get to buy a scale today and my weight chart that i had saved is missing but IIRC i've lost 2 inches on the gut. I had someone come in my office today (who had no idea i was doing anything) and flat out ask me how much weight i've lost, its been two weeks. That felt pretty good. Going to keep on chugging along.