16 Weeks of Pain

And the adventure continues...

2008-04-04T11:00:00.007+01:00

16 Weeks Of Pain.

Done.

As of today - Friday, April 4 2008 - I weigh 177 pounds.

Or 12 stone 9 pounds.

Or 80.3 kilos.

Since my first post all the way back on December 7, 2007, I've lost 41 pounds (a pound under 3 stone, or 18.6 kilos).

My waist has gone from 37 inches to 32.5.

My bodyfat has dropped from somewhere in the 30s to the middle-teens.

I feel and look considerably better. People notice, like, all the time.

That's some kind of result.

What I have learned? That if you apply yourself enough, pretty much anything is possible. The keys in all this were consistency - going to the gym 4-6 times each week, every week, and ensuring that my average calories stayed around 2200 (which they did) - and making sure it wasn't too difficult.

Because despite the title, which I chose all those weeks back, this wasn't all that hard at all. Not a lot of pain involved (primarily because it allowed me to pretty much eat and drink what I wanted, and still get great results.)

However, I'm not done. I want more. I've seen the light.

For my continuing story, check out the following URL:

http://www.iamsheamus.com

Hope to see you there.

Wednesday

2008-04-02T20:00:00.000+01:00

Food:

Tuesday

2008-04-01T23:45:00.000+01:00

Did about 35 minutes of weights followed by 20 minutes @ 7.3kph.

Food:

Not the greatest day of eating but 147g of protein and low-calorie, carb and fat content.

Monday

2008-03-31T23:45:00.000+01:00

I've been so bogged down with various projects this past week that this has taken a bit of a backseat. I weighed 177 on Friday (no change) and did weights and 20 minutes on the treadmill on Saturday.

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Thursday

2008-03-27T21:15:00.000Z

Did 30 minutes @ 7.3kph.

Wednesday

2008-03-26T20:00:00.000Z

Did 30 minutes on the treadmill at 7.0kph.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-03-25T20:00:00.000Z

Got my two workouts in. Did about 50 minutes of weights then 20 minutes at 7.3kph on the treadmill this morning, then 40 minutes at 7.0kph in the PM.

Food:

Monday

2008-03-24T23:45:00.002Z

It's been a poor week. I've only been to the gym three times, I think. Terrible. Need to get back on the saddle tomorrow.

Food:

Friday (177)

2008-03-21T23:45:00.000Z

No change this week.

Thursday

2008-03-20T20:00:00.001Z

Food:

Wednesday

2008-03-19T23:45:00.001Z

Did 40 minutes of weights (6 reps x 4 sets), then 20 minutes at 7.3kph on the treadmill.

Tuesday

2008-03-18T23:45:00.004Z

Ack, I've consumed way too much alcohol in the past three days. I think on some level I was celebrating hitting (and exceeding) my target, but it just won't do at all. I'm going to try and get in two sessions at the gym tomorrow to make up for it, and I'm back to work tomorrow night, so I'll be giving the old liver a rest for the next few days.

The good news (for me, at least), is I finally feel - and look - lean. As said the abdominals aren't quite there yet - certainly not to the standard I want - but it's close.

Food:

Not good.

Monday

2008-03-17T23:45:00.001Z

Food:

Sunday

2008-03-16T23:45:00.000Z

Food:

Saturday

2008-03-15T23:45:00.003Z

Food:

Friday (177)

2008-03-15T23:45:00.001Z

177 pounds, baby, 177 pounds!

Smashed through my 180 original goal. Go, me (and that.)

As before, I've now revised this goal to 172 pounds, although that again my not be enough. That said, my abdominals are, finally, starting to come in - the grooves are slightly visible, but specifically, you can feel them (and they feel great.)

Did 40 minutes at 7.0kph.

Food:

Thursday

2008-03-13T20:00:00.000Z

Did about 45 minutes of weights (4 x 8 reps) and then 20 minutes on the treadmill at 7.3kph.

Couldn't quite manage the second session due to time restraints. Still, four appearances over three days isn't too bad.

Wednesday

2008-03-12T23:45:00.000Z

Did 30 minutes at 7.0kph.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-03-11T23:45:00.002Z

Just four weeks to go. Time to mix this bad boy up a bit.

While the basic exercises will stay the same, I'm going to change my weekly routine for this final month.

Whereas before it was on/off low-rep/high-rep weeks, from now on I will do routines of 10, 8 and 6 repetitions each week.

So, for example, today I did all the exercises in my plan - Olympic lift, squats, bench press/push-ups, pull-ups, dips, EZ-bar curls and lateral raises - in four sets of 10 reps each, all with the same weight.

When I do weights again this Thursday, it will be heavier sets of 8 reps. On Saturday, heavier still of 6.

Next week, I go back to 10 reps, slightly heavier, and so on.

Cardio on alternate days as before, but I'm also looking to add more cardio on the weight days, too. Specifically, where possible, I will go to the gym twice per day.

Today I did about 45 minutes of weights followed by 20 minutes at 7.2kph on the treadmill in the morning, and then returned to the gym just after 5pm and did 50 minutes at 7.0kph.

As I said before, I'm basically at my 180 target and should surpass that this week. My revised target will then be 172 pounds, although I may need to go as low as 167 before my abdominals are properly visible.

Today's food:

Sunday

2008-03-09T20:00:00.000Z

Parents over for dinner, and you do the math. Or rather, I've done it for you:

Saturday

2008-03-08T19:30:00.000Z

Food:

Friday (181)

2008-03-07T23:45:00.002Z

Lost a pound this week.

Did 30 minutes @ 7.2kph.

Food:

Thursday

2008-03-06T23:45:00.000Z

Did 55 minutes at 7.0kph.

Food:

Wednesday

2008-03-05T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes of weights and then 20 minutes @ 7.2kph on the treadmill.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-03-04T23:45:00.001Z

Did 40 minutes at 7.0kph.

Food:

Monday

2008-03-03T20:00:00.001Z

Right - we're getting very much back on the saddle this week.

My goal is to drop an average of two pounds a week now over the next five (which will complete the entire course.) That's 10 pounds in total. Assuming I didn't gain this weekend and can lose the two this week, I'll be at my target of 180 by Friday. However, it's blatant that 180 isn't going to give me the six-pack I desire so I'm pencilling in 172. I'll need to drop, I'm estimating, about another 5 per cent of bodyfat in the next five weeks to bring my abdominals in. That's one per cent a week. It's doable.

Did about 40 minutes of weights and then 30 minutes @ 7.2kph on the treadmill.

Food:

Sunday

2008-03-02T20:00:00.001Z

I've had a cold for a few days - hence the lack of updates on here and the lack of going to the gym. Haven't been since Thursday. I weighed 182 on Friday, which means no change on the week.

Food today:

Comfort, and all that. Back to the grind tomorrow.

Thursday

2008-02-28T23:45:00.000Z

Did about 45 minutes of weights and then 15 minutes on the treadmill at 7.2kph.

Food:

Wednesday

2008-02-27T23:45:00.001Z

Food:

Not my finest of performances.

Tuesday

2008-02-26T18:00:00.000Z

Food:

Monday

2008-02-25T20:15:00.000Z

Did 35 minutes at 7.0kph on the treadmill.

Food:

Sunday

2008-02-24T18:30:00.000Z

Did 40 minutes @ 6.8kph.

Food:

It's a low number but after the excesses of the last few days, exactly what the doctor ordered.

Saturday

2008-02-23T23:45:00.001Z

Was out most of the night at a friend's birthday celebration.

It shows.

Friday (182)

2008-02-22T23:45:00.003Z

Lost a pound this week.

Did 50 minutes of weights and 15 minutes on the treadmill @ 7.0kph.

Food:

Not my finest hour, to be honest.

Thursday

2008-02-21T23:45:00.002Z

Food:

Wednesday

2008-02-20T20:08:00.004Z

Did about 50 minutes of weights then 15 minutes on the treadmill.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-02-19T21:00:00.000Z

Did 40 minutes @ 6.8kph.

Food:

Monday

2008-02-18T23:45:00.001Z

Food:

Sunday

2008-02-17T23:45:00.000Z

Did 40 minutes @ 6.8kph.

Food:

Saturday

2008-02-16T23:45:00.002Z

Did about 45 minutes of weights then 15 minutes @ 7.0kph on the treadmill.

Workout:

Food:

Friday (183)

2008-02-15T23:45:00.000Z

Lost six pounds this week. Six pounds. Read that and weep, fat boys.

As I presumed last week, I must have been holding on to a fair bit of water, because as ludicrous as it was that I gained last time, it seems unlikely I've lost a full six pounds in one week, too. I would guess I lost 2-3 last week and 3-4 this week. Overall, however, I'm now down to 183, and three pounds away.

The problem? The six-pack. There's no way I'm going to have this in three pounds' time. So, what I'm going to do is get to 180 then revise my target. I'll get there first - moving objectives before you've reached the first one is always a mistake.

Did 30 minutes on the treadmill @ 7.0kph.

Food:

Thursday

2008-02-14T19:00:00.000Z

Did 50 minutes of weights, then finished with 15 minutes @ 7.0kph on the treadmill.

Food:

Wednesday

2008-02-13T21:00:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes at 6.8kph on the treadmill.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-02-12T20:30:00.000Z

Did 50 minutes of weights, skipped the row and did 15m at 7.0kph on the tread. I may continue doing the tread from now on as I don't feel the effort involved in the row burns enough calories.

I'm back to work tonight, and as it always seems to be on this day, my calorie intake is low. I feel I ate well and I'm full, so no problem, especially with some of my recent inputs.

Monday

2008-02-11T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes @ 6.8kph.

Sunday

2008-02-10T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes of weights. The rowing machines were all busy so finished with 20 minutes on the treadmill, at 6.8kph, instead.

Had people over, so ate typically poorly.

Saturday

2008-02-09T23:45:00.000Z

Food:

Not good.

Friday (189)

2008-02-08T20:00:00.000Z

Somehow I gained a pound-and-a-half this week. It seems impossible - there's no way I've eaten an extra 5,250 calories, so I can only assume I'm holding back some water. The machine told me I'd dropped 1.5 per cent bodyfat since last week, so that makes it even more bizarre. It is what it is, but it'll be interesting to see what the number is next time.

All that said, I couldn't have eaten much worse today, really, but amazingly, the calories came in pretty low, considering.

No gym - I've come down with some kind of EN or T infection and figured I'd be pushing it, so will resume with the barbells tomorrow.

Thursday

2008-02-07T23:45:00.000Z

Food:

Wednesday

2008-02-06T19:30:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes @ 6.8kph.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-02-05T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes of weights, and finally a reasonable row time, although still about 10 seconds short of my best.

Food:

Monday

2008-02-04T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes of hills on the treadmill @ 6.8kph.

Food:

Sunday

2008-02-03T19:00:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes of weights at the gym, as follows:

Food:

It's a low number, but I had too much yesterday and I'm not in the least bit hungry. Brings the average down, and all that.

Saturday

2008-02-02T23:45:00.000Z

Ah, the winning combo of McDonald's for breakfast and a birthday buffet for dinner.

Friday (187.5)

2008-02-01T21:00:00.000Z

Lost a pound this week.

Food:

Thursday

2008-01-31T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes on the treadmill @ 6.8kph.

Food:

Wednesday

2008-01-30T23:45:00.000Z

Did 45 minutes at 6.8kph.

Food:

Tuesday

2008-01-29T23:45:00.000Z

OK - back on the saddle. Did a full 45-minute weights workout at the gym and then followed that up with 30-minutes on the treadmill. Need to kick-start the old system; I've been so crap of late.

Workout:

I've figured out why my row times have gone down the shitter, too - it all comes down to the quite vast differences between the various rowing machines. The rowers at my gym all have a fixed level of resistance - you can't change it like you can on some systems. The machine I normally use is, according to one of the trainers down there, set correctly. However, when the place is busy, beggars can't be choosers, etc, and I've often been stuck with another machine (which, for reasons I'll now explain, is always free), that is set so loosely that no matter how hard you work you can't get the bastard to go faster than 250m/minute. Overall, that equates to a 40-second difference (or thereabouts) in the 4-minute time trial.

Food:

No chocolate, but the alcohol is a killer as usual.

Monday

2008-01-28T23:45:00.000Z

Went a bit pear-shaped today:

The chocolate has got to go. That's it from tomorrow onwards.

I should point out that I'm not actually eating at Subway every day of the week; I do occasionally, but the items above are generally the Subway club I've replicated at home, which basically means as healthy a wheat sub-roll I can buy at the store, some thinly spread light mayo, and 4-6 slices of different lean high-quality meats (chicken, ham, beef etc.)

Sunday

2008-01-27T21:00:00.000Z

Food:

Back to the gym tomorrow and this week I'm hitting the motherfucker hard.

Saturday

2008-01-26T19:00:00.000Z

Food:

Friday (188.5)

2008-01-25T23:45:00.000Z

Somehow I lost a pound and a half this week. Lord only knows.

Missed the gym again. Terrible. I'm back at work tonight and Saturday's are nearly always a right off as a result. Must, must get back on track Sunday, and hit it hard. Week #8 will begin on Monday.

Here's what I ate:

Thursday

2008-01-24T23:45:00.000Z

OK - the first six weeks finished last Saturday, and I'm almost through week #7, now.

We're on a slightly different six-week program (of the overall sixteen weeks.) Now, it's still a 'light/heavy' ON and OFF weight rotation, but the reps in the 'light' weeks have come down, to 12, 14 and 16, respectively. Heavy weeks remain 10, 8 and 6.

Also, to improve on shoulder muscle, definitely an area I feel I've lost an edge in the first six weeks, I've removed the lateral rotation from the workout and replaced it with the lateral shoulder raise, like this:

(Not me.)

As for the weight itself, my week #7, #9 and #11 sessions have been raised about ten per cent from what I did in week #1, #3 and #5.

I'm currently doing 12 repetitions, over four sets, three times per week, and 2-3 cardio sessions.

Did 40 minutes at the gym. I skipped the row as I ran out of time. My row has been shocking lately, actually. You'll see when I backdate the sessions I missed on here, but it's totally collapsed for some reason. No idea why.

Weigh-in tomorrow; I'm pretty sure I've gained a pound or two. At best I'm even Steven. One of the biggest problems of not being able to access the Internet the past couple of weeks, and Calorie-Count.com, is how unaccountable your eating quickly becomes. Whereas before on each and every day I'd know what I'd eaten and could take measures the next day if I was over (or short), while it hasn't been a case of 'anything goes' I have definitely got very lax about it all.

I really need to tighten things up.

Here's what I ate:

Had dinner round my folks, and naturally you pay the price.

Wednesday

2008-01-23T23:45:00.000Z

Food:

Update #2

2008-01-23T18:00:00.000Z

OK - my Internet connection was finally sorted out around 2pm today. As I said, I've kept a log of everything I've eaten and done at the gym and will update this blog with all those entries over the next few days, probably working backwards.

Cheers.

Tuesday (Spurs 5, Arsenal 1)

2008-01-22T23:45:00.000Z

Went to see Spurs thrash Arsenal 5-1 at White Hart Lane tonight, in the Carling Cup semi, and it's yet another example of how such a day can get away from you.

Took a day off from the gym, too. Not a winning combo.

Here's the food:

Those nice folks at Calorie-Count.com rate that an A-, but there's no way. I've developed a real craving for chocolate the past couple of weeks and that's got to go.

Update

2008-01-17T11:00:00.000Z

I've lost my Internet connection at home. Tiscali, my ISP, have no idea what the problem is, and seem no closer at all to a solution.

Hence, I haven't been able to update at all. I have kept a log of all my food and exercise, etc, and will go back and update the days when I can.

Cheers.

Friday (190)

2008-01-11T23:30:00.000Z

Lost 4 pounds this week - that's quite a result this late in the game, and particularly over a week in which I've struggled a bit and not felt especially well.

That's two stone I've lost in total now (28 pounds) - I'm well chuffed with that.

Did an hour on the treadmill today.

Here's what I ate:

Thursday

2008-01-10T23:30:00.000Z

I think there's definitely a chance I'm over-trained/over-tired because I had to skip the gym again today. A constant pounding headache, lethargy and general fatigue are the usual signs of not getting enough rest, and that's what I've got.

Whatever happens I'll get back tomorrow before the weigh-in but this has not been a good week; I think I just haven't got enough sleep. It's that simple.

Here's what I ate:

Wednesday

2008-01-09T18:45:00.000Z

Skipped my workout. Took a day off, and all that. I slept terribly - and annoyingly briefly - have had a headache all day and it only dawned on me about 4pm that I've been to the gym seven days in a row. So, a bit of a breather was clearly in order.

Here's what I've eaten:

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Tuesday

2008-01-08T20:00:00.000Z

45 minutes on the treadmill. I'm aching like a bitch today, after yesterday's workout.

Here's what I've eaten:

The gym has been really busy the last two days. I guess the cutoff point for folk to get into shape is the day they go back to work, which for many was yesterday, I'm guessing. I'm a month ahead, suckers!

Monday

2008-01-08T09:30:00.000Z

Yesterday was the workout from hell.

Believe me, I've never done anything so difficult at the gym. The olympic lift and squats were fair enough, but 25 reps on the bench followed by 25 push-ups is a total killer. 200 reps for chest in about 8 minutes? Leave it out, son.

All told, very, very taxing.

When it came to the row, it was all I could do to sneak under four minutes.

The entire workout took 80 minutes in total. What didn't help is that absent-mindedly I'd eaten very little yesterday - even post-dinner (after my workout) I'd only consumed a fraction under 400 calories. Had some mixed nuts and fruit later that evening to add a little more, but still came in very low. Obviously will need to take in more carbs before this workout (which is next on Wednesday.)

It just shows that you can eat foods that are seen as being quite bad that are actually healthy and low calorie.

Treadmill tomorrow. And lots of sleep.

Sunday

2008-01-06T23:30:00.000Z

Back to work tomorrow night, so that's the drinking done for the next few days. Which is a good thing, as for some reason I've been hitting it a tad hard this past week.

Did an hour on the treadmill.

Here's what I ate:

25 reps tomorrow. The joy.

Saturday

2008-01-05T23:30:00.000Z

Good weights session at the gym - really, very straightforward. Managed a 3:39 on the row which is just outside my PB.

Nutrition, however, was a bit of a disaster. Problem is I'm one of those people who hates wasting food, and we've had quite a few leftovers from Christmas and New Year's. They've all pretty much gone, now, so my late-night snacks and Key Lime Pie days are over.

Here's what I ate:

Poor show.

However, that's week #4 complete. Week #5 begins with the treadmill tomorrow and the hell that is four sets of 25 starts on Monday. This is where it's really going to hurt.

Goals & Objectives (Redux)

2008-01-05T10:00:00.000Z

Four weeks in it's probably time to have a bit of a refresher about why, and how, I'm doing all of this. Objectives and goals are constantly modified and re-addressed as one progresses along a plan like this, and it's useful to stand back and see exactly what you're doing at key points.

(You may want to read my original post about goals.)

The 16-Week Plan

The purpose of all of this is to get into shape - great shape. Pro athlete, six-pack sporting, fucking hell, how did you manage that? kind of shape. In 16 weeks.

To do this, you have to hurt yourself a bit.

Primary Goals

1. To significantly lower overall bodyfat, whilst maintaining muscle mass.
2. To get my weight down to 180 pounds.*
3. To have a six-pack (and then take lots of pictures.)

* This number may have to be modified depending on the shape I'm in when I get there.

Secondary Goals

1. To prove that you can pretty much eat what you like as long as you do everything in moderation - life blows if you can't have some of the good stuff. I'll try to eat as much good food as possible, but won't obsess too much about what it's made of. A calorie is a calorie, and all that.
2. To accomplish all of this by spending as little time in the gym as possible - 45-60 minutes per session.

I will weigh myself once per week, each Friday, and publish the results.

Nutrition

At all times I'm mindful about calories, fat and protein intake, but not obsessive about them. I will try and keep main meals in the 500-600 calorie range, and snacks between 100-150 calories. There will be three main meals a day, and 2-3 snack meals.

To do this, I'll:

1. Always reach for non- or low-fat options where available (particularly in dairy, cheese and meat.) Mayonnaise will be low-fat and butter and condiments will be kept to a minimum (unless low-fat options are available.)
2. Avoid white sliced bread completely, consuming only wholemeal. I will, however, have white bagels and pitta bread.
3. Avoid fried food and things like chips, etc, for the most part, except on 'treat' nights. Meat will be, wherever possible, cooked in its own fat.
4. Avoid starches and heavy carbohydrates after 2pm.
5. Not eat anything after 7pm (unless I'm working a night shift, when my shift food will replace my lunch for the next day.)
6. Consume alcohol only 3-4 days per week (having 3-4 days of complete abstinence). Beer and wine will be kept to a minimum. All spirits will be consumed with zero-calorie mixers (energy drinks, lemonade, tonic etc.)
7. Drink as much water as possible (2+ litres per day), and only consume sugar-free, zero-calorie soft drinks. I take my coffee black with sweetener as it is, so no problem there.

On nights out and special days (Xmas, etc), I won't be too bothered about what I eat or drink. I'll make up for these days the rest of the week, and at the gym.

The goal is to take in 2000-2400 calories per day on average. This is important, because if you become too obsessed about hitting the right number each and every day you will fail. The average is all that matters.

Supplements

In the first six weeks I won't be using any supplements at all, aside from a basic multivitamin and a cod liver oil tablet. In the second six weeks I may introduce some or all of the following - creatine, glutamine and protein shakes - but will wait until the second stage of the program before making a final decision on that.

The Gym

I will go to the gym six days per week. This will be on a weights/cardio rotation (weights day one, cardio day two, weights day three, etc.) So, each week I will do three weight sessions, and three cardio sessions.

Weights

The 16-week plan is comprised of ON/OFF, or heavy/light, weeks, for the weight sessions.

Week #1 - Light week with 15 repetitions per set.
Week #2 - Heavy week, with 10 repetitions per set, and a 10 per cent weight increase on week #1.
Week #3 - Light week with 15 repetitions per set.
Week #4 - Heavy week, with 8 repetitions per set, and a 10 per cent weight increase on week #2.
Week #5 - Light week with 25 repetitions per set.
Week #6 - Heavy week, with 6 repetitions per set, and a 10 per cent weight increase on week #4.

(I will modify this after week #6.)

Weight sessions are made up of four sets of X reps (as above.) Each set has the same amount of reps and the same weight - gains in weight are made as per the list above (i.e., at week #2, #4, #6 etc.)

Abdominal work is three sets of reps, over two exercises, three days per week (with the weights sessions.)

The objective is to be in and out of the gym as soon as possible - during weight sessions, the minimum rest will be taken between sets and exercises, and the goal is to maintain a fairly busy heart rate whilst lifting.

My rest days will 'float' - this means that I won't have a fixed day off each week: I will take it when I have to, as there is always one day a week where you can't make the gym despite wanting to.

Cardio

Cardio sessions are quite basic - 45-60 minutes on the treadmill, with the following settings: 'random' (which means differing hills of various elevations), the maximum difficulty level (in my case, 20), and a speed of 6.6 kph+ (currently 6.8 kph.) This burns somewhere between 900-1000 calories per hour (at my bodyweight).

It's important you enter all of this data into your treadmill and don't use the 'quick start' option, as otherwise you'll have no control over what is going on. It's a good workout, but it's doable - this, again, is key to success.

Friday (194)

2008-01-04T23:30:00.000Z

Lost two pounds this week - that's really quite an achievement given the high-calorie nightmares I had on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. How did I do it? Busted my ass at the gym, as usual. Losing three pounds over the Christmas and New Year's weeks is impossible unless you do that - I went to the gym ten times in the past two weeks. The four days I had off the gym was closed. As Roy Castle probably said with his last breath, that's dedication. (I think he also said, "Jesus Christ, will you put that out...")

So, I'm down to 194, or 13 stone 12. That's a total loss of 24 pounds, now. 14 to go.

Did a thousand calories on the treadmill today (61 minutes). A weight session was scheduled but the gym was so unbelievably busy that I had to put that off until tomorrow - so, I'll do my final weights session of week #4 on Saturday, and then week #5 will start Sunday.

The 1000 kcal opened up an opportunity for a nice cheat day, so I took it, and, alas, drank way too much.

Here's what I ate:

Food-wise it was pretty reasonable. The alcohol was excessive but when you have everything with zero calorie mixers it keeps it all under control (to a point.)

Thursday

2008-01-03T20:30:00.000Z

Did 52 minutes on the treadmill. Last weights session tomorrow in week #4, then the weigh-in, then on to the hell that's week #5's 'easy' week, where everything is 25 reps. :\

Here's what I ate:

Key lime pie was left over from New Year's, and that slice was far, far too good to waste.

Wednesday

2008-01-02T20:00:00.000Z

Here we go. Back on the wagon.

Did 45 minutes at the gym, which included a poor 3:49 on the row but I felt a bit out of it the whole time.

The rest of the workout was solid.

New Year's Day

2008-01-01T23:30:00.000Z

A pretty big lunch and I skipped dinner as a result - I wasn't hungry in the slightest, and definitely didn't need the calories.

Back to 'normal' tomorrow.

New Year's Eve

2008-01-01T10:00:00.000Z

Shocking. Shocking.

So much for keeping it lean, although being fair it was New Year's Eve. No gym, either - left home at 8am and was out all day getting stuff together for the night.

Here's what I ate:

A shocking 480 grams of carbs in that lot, all of them of the rubbish variety. However, as said previously, it's been a week of pretty big drinking (tis the holiday, and all that) and now that I'm back to work tonight, all that ends. No gym today (they're closed) but have three full sessions to get in before Friday's weigh-in; again, the goal is just to not have gained any weight.

Sunday

2007-12-30T23:30:00.000Z

Did 62 minutes on the treadmill today which came to exactly 1000 calories. This is good, as I consumed a smidgen too much.

Alcohol is my 'problem' at the moment - it's the holiday season, of course, but once I start going back to work on Tuesday (New Year's Day, alas), that'll take care of itself. New Year's Eve tomorrow should be my last excessive calorie day for a while. Hopefully.

Saturday

2007-12-29T23:30:00.000Z

First weights session in week #4 today. Went very well; surprisingly easy, to be honest, especially compared to the hell that is meant to be the 'easy' week.

As said, this week it was four sets of 8 repetitions, and I added 5-10 per cent to all weights across the board (from week #2). Abdominals remained the same.

Shaved three seconds off of my row PB, too.

Here's the workout:

And here's what I ate:

I was quite low in calories after my evening meal and felt I needed something else before I retired - hence the sandwich.

Friday (196)

2007-12-28T23:30:00.000Z

First up, the Christmas miracle - I lost one pound this week. Amazing given all the crap I ate. I did make it to the gym four times, which isn't bad going over the Xmas period (which sounds like something Mrs Claus used to have.)

I did 45 minutes on the treadmill today. It's all I had time for. This means I only lifted weights twice this week, but that's sometimes how things work out. Tomorrow begins week #4 of the overall plan, which is a heavy weights week - everything drops down to 4 sets of 8 reps (except abdominals.)

Here's what I ate:

That's a basic (but tasty) spaghetti bolognese dinner, in case you're wondering. Home-made and with lean mince it doesn't have to be such a nightmare.

And here's my nutritional breakdown for the week:

Not my finest of performances, but the end result worked out okay. This week I'll mostly be keeping it leaner, with the obvious blip on the horizon that is New Year's Eve.

Salut.

Thursday

2007-12-27T19:00:00.000Z

Did 60 minutes of hills at 6.8kph today instead of the weights workout. Why? I slept really, really badly after work, and felt like I was putting myself at risk of an injury. I'll do the weights tomorrow, which ends week #3.

Here's what I ate:

Not too bad. The meat in my sandwich at 'lunch' (actually overnight) was leftovers my Boxing Day dinner and so slightly heavier than normal. But I'm getting a lot of protein this week, which won't do me any harm.

Boxing Day

2007-12-26T20:30:00.000Z

Much better:

See you tomorrow, where the weight session from hell will resume.

Christmas Day

2007-12-25T23:30:00.000Z

Ho ho ho! Here's the damage:

I skipped dinner entirely; I was incredibly bloated after all that lot and didn't eat again until just after midnight, at work.

Not good, but could have been worse. I have a Boxing Day meal to get through but otherwise will be keeping it super-lean now until the weigh-in on Friday.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-25T10:00:00.000Z

Another very tough workout. Held it together better than last time but believe me - it's a bitch.

Took 70 minutes.

Here's what I ate:

Was going okay until the late-night munchies kicked in. That's what alcohol will do for you. Was a pretty low fat meal but I'm feeling a bit bloated today, as a result. Need to try and hold it together for the end-of-week weight-in, although I'll probably do 60+ minutes on the treadmill on Friday to take some of the edge off. As I said before, if I can flatline this week, it'll be a result.

Sunday

2007-12-24T09:00:00.000Z

Steadied the ship, and all that. Did an hour on the treadmill.

Here's what I ate:

Weight session #2 of week #3 later today. I'll be resting then over Xmas and Boxing Day - not by choice - and then will finish week #3 on Thursday and Friday.

My goal this week, basically, is not to gain any weight. I think if I can flatline or lose a pound it'll be a result.

Have a good Christmas.

Saturday

2007-12-23T10:30:00.000Z

Right, here's a great example of how quickly one day can go horribly, horribly wrong.

Here's what I ate:

Tis the season and all that, but we can see clearly here how when one goes out how quickly it can all get away from you. I drunk a fair bit and that alone totals 1508 calories. Throw in the obligatory late-night kebab - which was another 1111 kcal, thanks to the death that is real mayonnaise, and we're looking at 2619 kcal of excess. That's more than I'd have on any normal day, all by itself. Put that on top of the rest of my day and we're toast.

Yes, it is Christmas, but I'll have to try and remember that your belly is for life. Too many of these and a lot of my tremendous - and it is tremendous - work will be undone.

Yesterday was a day off, too.

Back to the gym today - weight workout #2 in week #3. I'll do the treadmill tomorrow, then my gym closes for two days, so it'll be two forced days off, and me trying my very best to put the fork down.

Friday (197)

2007-12-21T21:00:00.000Z

197 pounds - lost three this week. That's more like it. With about 14 weeks to go, I only have to lose slightly over 1 pound per week to make target.

Did 45 minutes on the treadmill. I'm off tomorrow, and actually going out, so it might end up being a bit of a high-calorie monster. Will do my best to reel it in though.

Here's what I ate:

Photos tomorrow - just didn't have time today!

Thursday

2007-12-20T19:30:00.000Z

Today was the first day of week #3 - this, theoretically, is an easy week, but thanks to the shift to 20 repetitions per set... man, it was totally fucking killer. The bench/press-up, chins and dips were extremely, extremely fatiguing, to the point where, in the bench/press particularly, I had to pause for a few seconds towards the end of each set (particularly in the last two) because my muscles were toast.

I increased the rest time between sets to 45 seconds (from 30) and up to 1:30 between exercises. It was still very hard. Even though, as said, the weights were back to where they were on week #1, the overall increase in reps made this a right bastard. I mean, that's 160 reps for chest, there, with the bench/push-up, over about 7-8 minutes (with rest.) That's brutal.

Abs stayed the same (20-25-30.)

The workout took 72 minutes overall. I think these 'easy' weeks are always going to be longer simply because of the reps. With the row, I was so tired when I got there that I was just hoping to break 4:00, and I did (3:52).

(Incidentally, week #5 has 25 reps for each set, so that's going to be fun.)

Here's the workout:

And here's what I ate:

Tomorrow - photos! And a weigh-in.

Wednesday

2007-12-19T20:00:00.000Z

45 minutes on the treadmill. Went very well. Feel sharp, alert, fit and strong today, and lots of other good buzz words. That also finished off week #2 of the sixteen week plan.

Tomorrow I go back to the 'easy' week, returning to the weights I used in week #1, except now the repetitions go up to 20. This will actually be quite hellish, especially on the bench/push-up combo and the pull-ups and dips. It's going to hurt.

Here's what I ate:

I swiped two chunks of Dairy Milk as a treat - man, it tasted gooooood. Here's my nutritional intake for the past week:

Apart from the blip that was the 16th, that's pretty good overall. Protein was all over the shop but averaged out to a reasonable enough figure. Fat has been very low the past three days without really even trying.

Tuesday

2007-12-18T23:30:00.000Z

An absolutely cracking workout today. It's strange, because for a couple of days I've felt like I was coming down with a cold, and there's a very old rule that the absolute worst thing you can do is hit the gym hard when you're ill. However, I've never put an enormous amount of faith in it - if you're seriously ill, then obviously you'd be daft to go. However, if you're only feeling moderately unwell or just suspect something is on the cards, I often find that a gym session can be exactly what the doctor ordered. Sweat it out, and all that. However, it can still go either way.

But it went great today - felt super-strong and fit all the way around and the bench press/push-up combo was spot-on. Took another two seconds off my 1000m row, but had to totally bust my balls to do it.

Today was the last weights day of week #2. Once tomorrow's cardio is done, that's the first two weeks complete. That wasn't too bad, was it? Week #3 is back to the 'easy' week, but with more reps. I'll go into more detail about that on Thursday.

Here's the workout:

And here's what I ate:

All that lot was only 39g of fat.

Back to work tomorrow - no more alcohol for me for four days, now.

Friday I'm going to take some photos and put them up. It's a mixture of arrogance and unease but it's something that needs to be done. In fact, I'm going to put new photos up every two weeks from then onwards. There's nothing worse than seeing 'before and after' pictures in any kind of gym program that claim to be x weeks apart but quite blatantly are not (and sometimes look as if it's two different people.) So, by the end of this, I'll have eight groups of pictures, and can do a proper comparison. I'm also planning to do some shots of the various exercises in the program at some stage. How thrilling for you.

Monday

2007-12-17T23:30:00.000Z

Back on the saddle again. Did an hour of hills on the treadmill, both to make up for yesterday's over-indulgence and because I was fifteen minutes short last Friday. The machine said it totalled at exactly 1000 calories.

Here's what I ate:

I'm back to work tomorrow so the alcohol intake will end for another 3-4 days. Until then, fair play. It is nearly Christmas, you know.

Sunday

2007-12-16T23:30:00.000Z

Today was an example of where things can go pear-shaped very easily, with one's diet, if you let them.

Gym was good; feel like my body is now more prepared for the hellish bench press/push-up combo and I didn't fatigue anywhere near as bad as previously. Did the row in 3:42, which is a three-second improvement. That was tough, though, and I feel that I might plateau here for a while.

Here's the workout:

And here's the massive slip-up which was my calorie intake:

What-a-mistaker-to-maker! It was a treat meal day, but the problem was reaching for the second burrito. That added another 500 calories to the day. And this came on the back of an 11-hour overnight shift, which always means extra meals and snacks. I had people over and hence the couple of extra glasses of vodka; that's only another 116 calories, however. All-in-all, though, a bad combination. Remember as well that all my condiments (and cheese) were either low-fat or minimal; using normal portions and fat-level versions of these would probably have added another 500 calories or so. As it is, all that lot only totalled 95g of fat, which is only slightly above the RDA. Tis hell indeed.

I'll be keeping it very lean the next couple of days to get my average back on track.

Saturday

2007-12-15T20:30:00.000Z

Took my day off today. Here's what I ate:

The Pizza Express pizza from Sainsbury's is a real find; half of the American is only 298 calories and 10.9g of fat. It tastes like the real thing, too. On the other hand, that Tesco Healthy Living Caesar dressing is some of the blandest shit I've ever put in my mouth. However, when the rival 'name' brands have as much as 35g of fat per 100ml - and call themselves 'healthy' or 'low-calorie' - you're kind of limited for choice.

Back to the grind tomorrow with the second weight session of week two.

Friday (200 lbs)

2007-12-14T21:00:00.000Z

The good news first - weighed myself today and I came in at 200 lbs. That's a seven pound (half-stone) loss on the week! I'm well pleased with that. It seems a lot and I can't help thinking that a chunk of it must be water, but I have worked my arse off, so who knows? Either way, I'd expect a more healthy (and maintainable) 1-3 pounds per week from now on.

Did only half an hour on the treadmill thanks to an incident at the doctor's surgery.

Here's what I've eaten today.

My treat meal. Chinese food really is death, isn't it? I had really quite modest portions and it still totalled 930 calories. Normally I'd have eaten about 50-100 per cent more than what I had. Quite, quite shocking. Tasted great, though. Pushed my fat up to 88g for the day which is still (marginally) under the RDA for an adult male. And we're only moderately over 2000 calories (2,109). It's all good.

Thursday

2007-12-13T23:30:00.000Z

Today was the first day of the second week of the plan. It's now four sets for the next five weeks, rotating on a heavy, low rep/light, high rep basis, each week. Abs remain at three sets, but have five extra reps per set.

Today was 10 reps with a 10 per cent weight increase on last week. Here's the chart:

Went pretty well; the bench/push-ups remains difficult, and four sets of pull-ups was a beast.

Managed to better my row time by two seconds as you can see. The first and last 250m were great; the middle 500m or so a total nightmare. Every 20-30 seconds I had to force myself not to quit. It was only through sheer stubbornness that I managed to beat my previous time.

Here's what I ate:

Too low on the calories; amazing what a difference even a modest intake of alcohol makes to your total, especially when you remove it. However, while I wasn't hungry all day, this needs to be a minimum of 2000 kcal. Looking back now I didn't eat a big enough lunch.

Weigh-day tomorrow. I've felt a bit bloated the past couple of days for some unfathomable reason and I hope it's not my body playing some kind of game with me by holding water or somesuch. At the very least I should have lost a couple of pounds this week.

Wednesday

2007-12-12T23:30:00.000Z

Today was the last day of the first week - three weight-lifting and three cardio sessions in the bag!

Tomorrow begins the first of my 'heavy' weeks - the cardio remains the same, but the weight sessions are now made up of four sets of 10 reps, with a 10 per cent increase across the board in all weights. Abs remain the same.

Did 45 minutes doing random hills at 6.7kph on the treadmill today.

Here's what I ate:

And here's my nutritional breakdown for the week:

My protein was a bit on the low side yesterday. Whilst I continue to maintain my 'a calorie is a calorie' stance I do think 100g of protein a day is pretty much a bare minimum to support muscle development and repair. Otherwise, that's not too bad at all - the fat intake is excellent. (The 'grade', incidentally, is a Calorie-Count.com thing.)

What You Need.

2007-12-12T08:00:00.000Z

Here's what I bring to the gym with me when I workout:

Weight-lifting day - towel, water bottle.

Cardio day - towel, water bottle, MP3 player.

That's it. You don't need anything else. As the heavy weeks get heavier I'll probably introduce a weight-belt down the line, but that's about it. If you want to keep your hands to the level that Fairy Liquid has helped maintain then you should consider gloves. They can help with your grip to an extent but by not using them you'll toughen your hands up (calices, and what have you) and actually improve your grip, as well as your forearm strength.

What you definitely don't need is any kind of sports drink - they're a waste of time anyway but consider the logic of busting your ass for 20 minutes or so only to lose that from the 120 calories you'll ingest from a bottle of Powerade? There is something to be said for half a can of Coca Cola before and after a workout, alongside your half banana, and if you feel you need that extra bit of sugar, go ahead. But only drink water during the workout. You're not doing an Ironman here. Believe me, your electrolytes are just fine.

I drink 1-2 litres of water every workout, basically just having a sip after every set and every couple of minutes on the treadmill. Not great gulps - a sip. The old adage about how when your mind tells you you're thirsty it's already too late is absolutely true - nothing hits performance harder (and faster) than dehydration, even on a very moderate basis. Keep sipping that water.