Formosa Fitness

 One of the things that continues to amaze me in my personal fitness journey is how often I forget that not being sore doesn't mean I'm recovered. I fall for this all the time. Example: I hit 140kg on my squat this week and felt sore in the hips for a day but no big deal. Two days later I think I'm good to go and I start squatting and all of a sudden 100kg feels heavy. For some reason, I still have this impression in my mind that if I did 140kg two days ago, I should be good to go for nearly that again two days later, but it never works out that way.

This is one of the reasons wave loading exists. You wave the weight up and the reps down then in subsequent workouts you lower the weight but raise the reps. It's smart training for one thing -- you hit many different areas and attributes like this. You can cover power, muscle building, and endurance all in one week. But it also gives you time to recover from the more intense trainings. Funny how I just fell into it naturally because I couldn't lift heavy all the time.

So yesterday I found myself doing high reps with a paltry 70kg in the squat yesterday simply because my body was telling me I could move but I needed a break from the heavy iron.

But let me tell you this -- it really messes with your head to drop from 140kg back to 70kg again. You MUST remain calm and not freak out that you're doing something wrong. This is the body's natural reaction when you're training hard.

Enjoy the journey.

So Monday was the 30th day and I've been swamped with work so I didn't post my progress. Here are the pics:

So far I'm showing obvious results but still not where I want to be. That will take months but the challenge has given me solid results and I've set my diet and workout habits back on the right track. IMO this is what you should use a challenge for -- getting your habits right for long-term results. The challenge is making those habits stick and making a 100% commitment to them for 30 days.

From here on out, I will continue the transofrmation. So let's see what I look like at 2 months, 3, and six months. I predict great things. LOL.

For anyone thinking of doing this, realize that Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will you be. It will take a while to figure out what works and what doesn't. I also highly recommend getting a plan from a book or trainer that you trust. I wish I had done that to begin with rather than trying to figure it out on my own. I worked hard but not always smart over the past month.

I set a new PR this week in deadlift. My goal is 181kg, which is 400lbs. I might have done it if I tried at the beginning of the workout but you weightlifters know that's rarely how it works out. What happens is you're feeling pretty good one day already into a workout so you go for it. That's what I did here. My 30 day challenge is almost at an end and I'm happy because I'm obviously making gains.

Weight 83.1kg Fat 17.2%

So let's check this weeks results. It was a wild week and don't let my progress fool you. I had a lot of ups and downs this week concerning my method. But pics first and then details.

My back is showing the biggest improvement so far but I'm up in muscle all over. And feeling it, too.

Here's me three weeks ago:

So I'm showing some obvious improvement.

So what went wrong this week? Many things. First, after I posted the pics last time, I tried to work out and just failed. I had no energy whatsoever because I cut my carbs down too low in an effort to cut fat. Not smart. So I scrambled for a solution and that's when I realized that my G-flux thing didn't seem to be fluxing. As in, I didn't really have a program to go by, just a couple of articles. So I kind of scrapped the idea. I'm now doing other things and seeing good results.

Another thing that is wrong is my focus. Question: what is not in the pics? Legs. What do I spend 70% of my time on? You guessed it. As a functional guy, I tend to spend lots of time, squatting, deadlifting, swinging and cleaning the kettlebell, etc. Funny but all that stuff above in the pics tends to get ignored. Well it's time to spend some time on it and that's what I've been doing. I call it "filling in the blanks" because that's what it is. I'm filling in what isn't there.

Needless to say, I'm learning tons of stuff along the way but sometimes it's so much that I get overwhlemed. Then I need to step back and reassess before moving on. Sometimes it takes me a few days to process it.

So there you have it. More later.

If you don't want to listen to me, then listen to top coach Mike Boyle. Here's what was in his newsletter this morning on fat loss:

3#- Not enough protein. Everyone yaps about how bad high protein diets are for you. First off this is a fallacy. Second, most peoples’ protein intake is so low it doesn’t matter. Try to eat more lean protein. Have ham and eggs for breakfast. It’s good for you. No kidding. Canadian bacon and eggs might be better. On a 2000 calories diet following a 40-30-30 plan you would need 600 calories from protein. That’s 125 gms per day. By most peoples estimate that’s a lot of protein. Very few who don’t take supplements can get 125 gms. of protein a day.

Why won't people listen to this?

I've been quiet for a few days and I'm gonna be quiet for a few more. I'm in a dark period regarding the transformation and I'm letting myself get schoold by the moment. I'll explain more later but for know, I'm going to let the process play itself out and see how it goes. Let's just say I'm learning a bunch of stuff that I did NOT know. And that was the point in the first place. So stay tuned!

Weight: 82kg Body fat: 16.5% Muscle: 39.9%

I took a break from blogging everyday to let the story unfold. I'm busting butt in the gym and all my major lifts have gone up as have pullups. I've stuck to the diet and after only two weeks, I'm seeing solid results.

So far: 2.5kg lost and down 2% body fat in two weeks!!! I also GAINED muscle up from 37.7% to 39.9%!!!

Here are the pics:

Notice right away that the love handles are going away. I was shocked. I thought they'd still be there. And no, you can't suck in love handles, LOL.

My wife suggested a back shot because she says she can definitely notice that my back is getting broader. She mentioned "two bumps" on my traps that weren't there before. Haha. Traps coming in. The back love handles are the hardest to lose. I'm coming for you!!!!!

Side is still good. Compare this to last week.

So anyone thinking I'm starving myself, here's breakfast and this has been pretty standard lately: 2 eggs, and a serving of meat (usually leftovers from the night before), and a coffee with artifical sweetener. The sweetener is a choice I made. The brown sugar I was using was adding calories and I want to tighten that up. You choose what you use. This keeps me going all morning.

I just got back from two hours in the gym and I feel great. Looking at possibly walking some this afternoon if I get the chance.

It seems to me that at this point I might have what I need to do figured out. Let's see!

We interupt our normal prgramming for this special bulletin: I'm attending the Crossfit cert in April! Very excited about this and can't wait to meet the guys at Crossfit Asia. I've been following them on the web since they first opened and they're an inspiration for all of us here in Asia. They were the first box to open and have been at it for quite a while now so I'm sure they have lots to teach me. I plan on learning everything I can and working hard to prepare for the challenge between now and then. BTW, expect group workouts at Formosa Fitness to get harder. :)

Weight: 83.2kg body fat: 17.2%

Yesterday was a cheat day by accident. I slept poorly for three hours so I had two breakfasts -- one was a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. So carbs in the morning. I then had my customary two scarmbled eggs around 8am. I ate a great burger with onion rings and a soda for lunch, had my usual healthy and PN compliant dinner, but then had a small ice cream for dessert. I also had two large protein shakes yesterday. Result?

I killed it in the gym today!

I worked out for two hours including an hour and half of heavy weights and 30 minutes of metcon and I left feeling super. Wasn't even fatigued. My work capacity is going through the roof. So today I had Subway after my workout (also PN compliant, have carbs AFTER working out). I got the large steak and cheese on whole wheat with extra meat and cheese. Great!

Looking forward to walking an hour this afternoon.

Days like today let me know I'm on the right track.

So what's keeping me going?

1. multi vitmain, fish oil in huge amounts, and whey protein every day.

2. Good quality 8 hours of sleep (except yesterday)

3. massive amounts of water. I'm up to 4500ml on some days.

4. PN compliant diet with lots of protein

5. smart exercise selection with enough variety to not exhaust any one thing

6. my tennis ball routine I use to get the kinks out of my muscles

So there are some tips for anyone wanting to get serious. You have to get a plan in place and stick to it. Plus, you need your support system and the above six things are a great start.

Weight: 83.1kg bodyfat 17.3%

Training: Bench 82.5kg 5, 90kg: 5,5,5,4,4 felt great!

pullups: 9,7,6x5,4=50

OH press 70kg 2,2,1 65kg 3,3

BB Row 60kg 6 65kg 6 70kg 6,6

STX suspension trainer combo: 20 chest press/15 low rows/10 tri ext./10 curls x4

Workout time: 65:00

Walked fast pace for 60:00

Diet: 2 eggs, 3 pieces of lean pork, medium coffee with brown sugar

lunch: 4 veggies, 2 and half meat servings, medium Ovaltine after workout but before walk

This is what lunch looked like. I go to the local buffet and get only veggies and meats. Sure, the meats aren't super lean but I'm convinced this is much healthier in the long run than other choices. My carbs come from the veggies, I don't get rice with this usually. So this is one way I get lots of protein in my diet even while in Taiwan. Find a good buffet. They are very convenient.

Today I want to mention the principles behind what I'm doing because most people aren't aware of them. The nutrition aspect of what I'm doing comes from Precision Nutrition and specifically the G-flux articles that Dr. Berardi has written. So what is G-flux?

Your typical dieter does something like this: eat 1500 calories - burn 2000= -500 calories per day burned

This sounds great and all but it doesn't work well. Why not? Imagine taking gas out of your car and then trying to drive it faster. Not smart, is it? Now here's the idea behind G-flux: eat 3000 calories - burn 3500= -500 calories burned per day.

Both diets give you a caloric deficit but look at the amount of calories eaten in the two equations.

Now ask yourself this: what could you do with 3000 vs. 1500 calories? A lot, right?

Imagine the muscle you could build. Imagine how much more fiber you could get. Imagine the vitamins and minerals. And imagine NOT being hungry and miserable all the time. Sounds good, right?

That's what this diet offers. Yeah, you have to work out a lot. Yes, you have to be smart about your nutrition, eat lots of protein, and not deviate from a plan. But this is a MUCH smarter, more effective way to lose fat and/or gain muscle at the same time. Click here for some crazy results.

I had a great workout today and was excited to be in the gym. I've gone to the gym on little to no calories and it's terrible. I've had the hunger pains at night and denied myself food because I was already over my calorie limit for the day. The Precision Nutrition way should avoid all that and it has so far. I'm setting PRs and watching the fat go down. It feels great.

BTW, here's an audio interview by the authors of a great book New Rules of Lifting for Women. They talk about a similar strategy for women and suggest a minimum 2000 calories diet to do the hard workouts in the book.

This is the athletic way to lose fat vs. the starve and cardio yourself that everyone wrecks their health with. Let's see how it goes.