Hi Everyone! Well, the sun has finally arrived over here in the UK and we have had a week of great weather! Everything seems so much better when the weather is nice and I found it gave me even more motivation than normal. (I think it may have something to do with all those lovely ladies walking around in short skirts and skimpy tops! ;-)
Well, I have just completed Week 4, which means I am now half way through the programme! Wow, 4 weeks have absolutely flown by! It’s been a very good but hard week and there is no doubt the Bodyweight 200x2 challenge is the toughest so far and will give anybody a run for their money! I have also been reading a lot more on various forums and magazines and have picked up a few good tips that I can share with you. So here goes:
Eating Plan
I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that my energy levels were not that high which means workouts become harder and it’s more difficult to maintain motivation. This might be something to do with the weather as no doubt the sun can sap energy out of you, but I was also worried that I was not getting enough energy fuel in my diet. Since I started the programme I have dramatically reduced my carb intake and have not had any white bread, pasta, rice or potatoes for over 4 weeks! So I was worried that this was beginning to have a negative impact on my energy levels and performance.
As such, this week I started to have porridge in the mornings for breakfast with a slice of wholegrain toast and peanut butter. I also read that a bowl of porridge 30mins before a workout is one of the best workout fuels and also helps you to burn more calories. So I tried that a couple of times this week and it did work. It gave me more energy to complete the workouts and I did not feel as tired afterwards. So if you are starting to feel a bit low on energy then maybe this will work for you. Remember, carbs are essential and as long as you eat the right ones at the right time of the day then they will provide a great source of fuel for your body and will not negatively impact your weight loss goals. Stick to wholegrain carbs and eat them for breakfast or lunch but avoid having them later in the day unless it’s before a workout.
Another thing I did this week was to buy my first Protein Supplement from Maximuscle. They say you need at least 1.5g of protein per kilo of your bodyweight so ideally I should be getting around 120g – 130g of protein. I have calculated that I have been getting on average around 80g - 100g of Protein per day from food. The protein supplement is a Whey protein drink that provides around 25g of protein in every serving along with a load of amino acids that aids weight loss and the development of lean muscle. So it should be taken in conjunction with your daily Protein intake. So the trick is to calculate how much protein you get from normal food and then top this up with a supplement so that you the right amount of Protein. Remember, if you get too much protein the excess will be stored as fat. So it’s important to calculate how much you need to get the right amount on a daily basis.
So I have started to record all my meals in a spreadsheet where I record all the nutritional values of all the foods and drinks I consume. This way I can easily see how many calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbs and salt I have every day. Its sounds like a lot of work, and to be honest at the beginning it is but after a week or two you have done all the hard work and then it’s simply putting together a daily and weekly eating plan based around what you need to achieve. This will help you to ensure your body gets the right amount nutrients it needs. It also helps you to vary your eating plan so you don’t get bored, let’s face it sooner or later you are going to get sick of eating Turkey! Once I have finished I am more than happy to share this with others so if you want a copy let me know.
Workouts
I’ve had a pretty good week this week and have mixed up my workouts a lot more than usual so on Monday I did Workout A, Tuesday I played Football (Soccer), Wednesday was Workout B and I took Thursday and Friday off before doing the Bodyweight 200x2 on Saturday followed by a 4km run on Sunday. I also varied my interval training between the running machine, cross trainer and bike. I think this is a great way to ensure you don’t get bored.
One of the reasons I took Thursday and Friday off was because I felt my body needed a rest. I was pretty tired after the workout on Wednesday. I think this might have had something to do with the fact that I did not train until late on Wednesday (I only finished the workout at around 10:30pm) and also because I played football on the Tuesday and running around for 90mins was pretty tough going. So I listened to my body and took a couple of days off in order for my body to recover in time for the Bodyweight challenge on Saturday. Remember, a day or two rest is as good as a workout and is essential to help your body and muscles to recover and prime for growth.
So, Saturday came along and the toughest challenge yet. The Bodyweight 200x2! As Craig says, this is by far the biggest challenge yet and a significant step up on previous weeks. So I will not lie, it was tough. I finished the first 200 in just under 13mins and then took a 5 min break. The second 200 was a lot tougher and by the end I was really struggling to do the number of reps required. By the time I got to the final 5 chin ups I had nothing left in the tank so those last 5 chin ups were almost impossible. However, I did manage to get it done inside 30mins, which I was really pleased with. I then finished off with a 20 min interval training on the cross trainer.
Have you ever wondered just how effective the Bodyweight workouts and challenges are in terms of burning fat and calories? Well, I have so this week I wore a heart rate monitor throughout the workout and the results were pretty impressive. Including the Warm Up, the bodyweight challenge and the 20 mins interval training on the cross trainer it took me 1hr 5mins. In that time I burned off 947 calories. The Warm up alone took up nearly 100 calories and the bodyweight challenge took up around 600 calories. So this proves that the bodyweight workouts and challenges are not just good for building muscle but also for burning fat and calories!
As mentioned above, I did a 4km run on Sunday. It was a beautiful day and the thought of working out indoors was not very appealing so I thought why not go for a run. I have not done any road running for a very long time as I have week ankles and suffer quite a bit from shin splints. So I was not sure how I would get on. I did a 2.5 mile circuit (4km) and I managed to do it in 21mins, which meant I was doing a km every 5mins 25secs which is a pretty good pace. There is no doubt I would not have been able to do this 4 weeks ago and the best bit was my body felt great afterwards with no pain or stiffness in my legs or ankles. I also used the interval training technique so I was jogging at a light pace for a minute and then sprinting at a high intensity for a minute and this definitely helped.
So what’s the bottom line?
In the previous three weeks I have consistently lost 2lbs per week so I was a little bit disappointed when I stepped on the scales this morning and saw that I had only lost 1lb. However, now having had time to reflect, this is exactly what I would expect. We all know that muscle weighs more than fat so if you are building muscle at the same rate you are burning fat then you will not be loosing a lot of weight. So it can be very deceiving! As Craig suggests, I think the best thing to do would be to measure body fat percentage. So this week I am going to get someone to measure my body fat percentage and then I will monitor this over the next 4 weeks as I think it’s a far better measure than just stepping on the scales. Saying that, I am still planning to loose another 6-8lbs over the next 4 weeks! Another way to look at it is like this… 1lb is the equivalent of a tub of butter! So not bad really! One thing is for sure, I am going to need to buy a new wardrobe soon as all my clothes are far too big for me. I have lost at least a couple of inches from my waist over the last 4 weeks and all my trousers are now too big for me. On top of that I have had to add another hole in my belt! So I definitely feel the difference and as the pictures I took at the end of week 3 show, you can definitely see the difference.
At the start of this programme I remember looking at the Bodyweight challenges for each of the weeks thinking, man there is no way I will be able to do that! So to achieve what I have achieved in the last 4 weeks feels absolutely great! It’s great to see the progress and the results coming through in such a short period and it really spurs you on and helps keep you motivated. So looking forward to week 5 and another great week on the Belly Off programme!
http://bellyoff.menshealth.com/SNC/ViewItem.aspx?pguid=...93-b76e-19d9c94defc3
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