fitness people- who is still making progress?

[AutoEuphoria]

I used to hate diet pop, and would drink regular coke by the case. Now pretty much all I drink is Diet Pepsi and water...maybe the occasional glass of milk, but that's about it. I also went from eating fast food every day for lunch to having a handfull of pretzels...basically cut my LUNCH calorie intake from 600+ to a little over 100. Plus I'm eating less for dinner, and being more mindfull of sauces and butter. Just cutting out as many extra calories as I can. For the exercise part I do 10 miles a night 6 days a week on the Eliptical we have at home, using the highest resistance. Takes almost exactly an hour to do. I also do some crunches every once in a while and lift some weights. Seems to work for me so far :dontknow:

 

[LITTLEMAGS]

Question for Littlemags: How do you test your BF? I'm just curious. I have my first fitness assessment tonight on my path to a Sept competition and they check BF via skin fold measurements. Hopefully this Steve dude isn't scared to pinch all the skin he can get, I want accurate measurements (short of DEXA or the gold standard- underwater weighing, its the closest you can get with an experienced trainer)!!!!! I know you've been at this for years- but how did you get started? Did you have a trainer? Do you have any certification- or just years of trial and error? You mentioned something about your wife before- does she compete? If you rather PM me that's fine.

I use 7 point skin fold both with calipers and luckily we have health meter at the gym that uses computerized version. I only use the 7 point as a baseline because the person measuring the test differs from person to person. Some people are afraid to "grab" the skin and really measure cause they dont want to make their clients uncomfortable. I have recently done a dexa scan and that is pretty neat to see the differences.
I actually got started in the early 90's and just was hooked. Been at it since then. I have been lucky to have worked with several top level fitness experts and over the years have done quite of bit of consultations in the area of nutrition.
In the late 90's i finished my degree in Health Management and went on to work for a Ob Doctor who studied effects of nutrition on twins and triplets in concerns to grow patterns before birth. I have published several journals on fetal abnormalities concerning improper nutruition. That lead to independent research for pinnacle products. (andro poppers, 4-AD)
anyways...as far as being certified. I am a MPH (public health) and in the fitness industry I am ACE certified. I dont personal train anymore per say due to time constraints and monetary reasons but do quite a few consultations on helping people reach their fitness goals. I do have some beliefs about certain foods that conflict with a lot of mainstream thinking due to my background (dealing with insulin and metabolic rates) which make my views somewhat different. lol.
Yes...my wife does compete in bodybuilding. She actually won the Middleweights at the Michigan in May. She is now qualified nationally and will more than likely be doing jr nationals next year.

 

[Crazzy_Al]

I use 7 point skin fold both with calipers and luckily we have health meter at the gym that uses computerized version. I only use the 7 point as a baseline because the person measuring the test differs from person to person. Some people are afraid to "grab" the skin and really measure cause they dont want to make their clients uncomfortable. I have recently done a dexa scan and that is pretty neat to see the differences.
I actually got started in the early 90's and just was hooked. Been at it since then. I have been lucky to have worked with several top level fitness experts and over the years have done quite of bit of consultations in the area of nutrition.
In the late 90's i finished my degree in Health Management and went on to work for a Ob Doctor who studied effects of nutrition on twins and triplets in concerns to grow patterns before birth. I have published several journals on fetal abnormalities concerning improper nutruition. That lead to independent research for pinnacle products. (andro poppers, 4-AD)
anyways...as far as being certified. I am a MPH (public health) and in the fitness industry I am ACE certified. I dont personal train anymore per say due to time constraints and monetary reasons but do quite a few consultations on helping people reach their fitness goals. I do have some beliefs about certain foods that conflict with a lot of mainstream thinking due to my background (dealing with insulin and metabolic rates) which make my views somewhat different. lol.
Yes...my wife does compete in bodybuilding. She actually won the Middleweights at the Michigan in May. She is now qualified nationally and will more than likely be doing jr nationals next year.

I cant wait to see ur guys kids. lol. Gonna be little beasts!

 

[LITTLEMAGS]

I cant wait to see ur guys kids. lol. Gonna be little beasts!

big legs for sure...lol...

 

[YLWFVR]

I have recently done a dexa scan and that is pretty neat to see the differences.

Where did you have the DEXA scan performed? What was the approximate cost?

 

[LITTLEMAGS]

Where did you have the DEXA scan performed? What was the approximate cost?

I had mine done with my Doctor....my insurance didnt cover it..so i had to pay 100.00

 

[YLWFVR]

I had mine done with my Doctor....my insurance didnt cover it..so i had to pay 100.00

That's not bad. I thought it would be more than that. Considering some places charge 30-50 for a Bioelectrical Impedance Test, and extra 50 for a more accurate test is worth it!

Did you have to get a referral from him to send you to the test? was he/she cool about it?

 

[LITTLEMAGS]

That's not bad. I thought it would be more than that. Considering some places charge 30-50 for a Bioelectrical Impedance Test, and extra 50 for a more accurate test is worth it!

Did you have to get a referral from him to send you to the test? was he/she cool about it?

very cool about it since I was paying for it....

 

[Crazzy_Al]

Well...I think I finally found out what it takes to get real fat off of my body.

Cardio “2-a-days”…and a clean diet of course.



Example:

Sunday (6-7-09) morning: 233-234 lbs (I forget)
This (6-12-09) morning: 226.8 lbs

And it’s not a fluke. About a pound+ a day has been coming off, as I have been checking daily.

Here has been my routine:

**mountain bike cardio is peddling 100% of the time with no pausing AT ALL! At a decent clip and toward the middle of the gears on a 21 speed bike...plenty of resistance! My thighs and knees BURN from mile #2 and on**

Sunday: 9:00am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in just a touch under 30 mins
Sunday: 5:30pm…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins

Monday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Monday: 5:30pm …6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins

Tuesday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Tuesday: 5:30pm …6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 26 mins

Wednesday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Wednesday: 5:30pm …Hit the gym and did some forearm workouts (per doctor’s orders I’m still not supposed to ANYTHING upper body L ), 4-5 sets of 15 rep calf extensions, then 45 minutes on the treadmill @ a 5.5* incline at 3.8 - 4 mph. Heartrate the entire time was 133-145.

Thursday: 5:15am... Took the morning off from cardio as my legs and knees are beat from all the new abuse of all the hard and constant peddling.
Thursday: 5:30pm...Hit the abs hard (and almost every day from here on out) + a 30 minute treadmill session. (would have gone 45 but I just bought new running shoes and my feet were hurting like hell as they are not used to them)

Friday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Friday: 6:00pm…plan to do 6+ miles on the mountain bike in 26-27 mins...then some lawn cutting and yard work. YAAAAAAAAAAAY. :lol:

The Master Cleanse worked alright. I did it for 8.5 days and lost 23 lbs. In all fairness the weight loss started at my highest, bloated from anesthesia, weight of 250.8 lbs. Ended at about 227 lbs. Really the cleanse boosted my morale more than anything. Real number weight loss was about 12-13 lbs or so...I was in the low 240 range before my surgery. After a day or two of eating and getting back to normal after the cleanse I was at like 231-232 lbs. I expected to put a few lbs back on when I started eating again, so I didn’t sweat it. I took 2 days to help the sole with yummy food vs good for me food. Either way, I’m back at the correct diet, cardio, and weights…though they’re really only legs right now. Either way, the fat is coming off and the mirror is really looking a LOT better.


That’s where I’m at right now. Not littlemags gains, but it’s what I can do with a busy life, job, wife, and 2 kids…and having just had surgery 2 weeks ago.

 

[robvas]

**mountain bike cardio is peddling 100% of the time with no pausing AT ALL! At a decent clip and toward the middle of the gears on a 21 speed bike...plenty of resistance! My thighs and knees BURN from mile #2 and on**

Put it on a shorter gear so you're pedaling with less resistance. Your cadence (pedal RPM) should be around 90. Your knees will thank you.

Also, take it up from 12mph to about 16mph on a bike like you posted. More of a jog than a 'fast walk'. Roadies should shoot for 20-25mph.

Check out the bicycling mags for good intervals to try. Here's one:


Chris Carmichael's Weight-Loss Workout

This one-hour workout delivers the double whammy of torching calories and building high-end aerobic power you can put to good use the rest of the season. It's strenuous, so do it a maximum of three times a week to allow for adequate recovery and best results.

6 minute: warmup

1 min.: fast pedal, spinning a light gear as fast as you can

1 min.: recovery spinning

1 min.: fast pedal

1 min.: recovery spinning

5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with 2 min. recovery spinning between each

6 min.: recovery spinning

5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with

2 min. recovery spinning between each

8 min.: cooldown

Total time: 60 min.

Chris Carmichael is Lance Armstrong's personal coach.

Recovery spinning would be 90rpm but literally no resistance.. As slow as you can really go , but not stopping.

 

[Crazzy_Al]

Put it on a shorter gear so you're pedaling with less resistance. Your cadence (pedal RPM) should be around 90. Your knees will thank you.

Also, take it up from 12mph to about 16mph on a bike like you posted. More of a jog than a 'fast walk'. Roadies should shoot for 20-25mph.

Check out the bicycling mags for good intervals to try. Here's one:


Chris Carmichael's Weight-Loss Workout

This one-hour workout delivers the double whammy of torching calories and building high-end aerobic power you can put to good use the rest of the season. It's strenuous, so do it a maximum of three times a week to allow for adequate recovery and best results.

6 minute: warmup

1 min.: fast pedal, spinning a light gear as fast as you can

1 min.: recovery spinning

1 min.: fast pedal

1 min.: recovery spinning

5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with 2 min. recovery spinning between each

6 min.: recovery spinning

5x2 min. at maximum intensity, with

2 min. recovery spinning between each

8 min.: cooldown

Total time: 60 min.

Chris Carmichael is Lance Armstrong's personal coach.

Recovery spinning would be 90rpm but literally no resistance.. As slow as you can really go , but not stopping.

Geez...who knew there was so much involved in riding a bike. :lol: Thanks for the info.

 

[topless67]

Geez...who knew there was so much involved in riding a bike. :lol: Thanks for the info.

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training- it doesn't only apply to a treadmill. :thumbsup:

Good work btw, Al. Those are the losses I hope to be seeing. I don't need to start cutting til Aug...but I'm really not satified right now. My issue is mostly dietary though.

 

[Crazzy_Al]

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training- it doesn't only apply to a treadmill. :thumbsup:

Good work btw, Al. Those are the losses I hope to be seeing. I don't need to start cutting til Aug...but I'm really not satified right now. My issue is mostly dietary though.

Thanks. I wonder how much more fat and water i can trim off in 13 days. May be time for some Dandelion Root, Taurine, and Clen. :lol:

 

[benk]

I am having one hell of a time getting on a normal sleep schedule. Don't ever work midnights unless you absolutely have to. This last year has been hell on my body.

It's really making it hard to get into a good daily routine, most of my battle when it comes to working out is giving myself time to do it.

 

[4v Shane]

I need to get back at it

 

[CableGuy]

I woke up this morning, did a sit-up to get out of bed.... I called it a day and went back to sleep....

 

[Slo_240sx]

You guys should come PT with me in the AM 0530 we go for about a 5-8 mile run, on tuesdays and thursdays we do combat conditioning in boots and uts. My friend in the Infantry over in Pendleton runs up this giant ass mountain in full combat load with a Kevlar and a M249saw on his shoulder! F that.

 

[Crazzy_Al]

Put it on a shorter gear so you're pedaling with less resistance. Your cadence (pedal RPM) should be around 90. Your knees will thank you.

Also, take it up from 12mph to about 16mph on a bike like you posted. More of a jog than a 'fast walk'. Roadies should shoot for 20-25mph.

After work cardio today consisted of:

Dropped one gear from 11th gear to 10th gear.
Maintain an average of 85 rpm (counted 6 different times)
Did 6+ miles in just under 26 minutes.

Even the 1 gear drop was a drastic change (improvement) on my knees...even though I was peddling a tad faster.

You guys should come PT with me in the AM 0530 we go for about a 5-8 mile run, on tuesdays and thursdays we do combat conditioning in boots and uts. My friend in the Infantry over in Pendleton runs up this giant ass mountain in full combat load with a Kevlar and a M249saw on his shoulder! F that.

Bad ass!!!

 

[1badvette]

Well...I think I finally found out what it takes to get real fat off of my body.

Cardio “2-a-days”…and a clean diet of course.



Example:

Sunday (6-7-09) morning: 233-234 lbs (I forget)
This (6-12-09) morning: 226.8 lbs

And it’s not a fluke. About a pound+ a day has been coming off, as I have been checking daily.

Here has been my routine:

**mountain bike cardio is peddling 100% of the time with no pausing AT ALL! At a decent clip and toward the middle of the gears on a 21 speed bike...plenty of resistance! My thighs and knees BURN from mile #2 and on**

Sunday: 9:00am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in just a touch under 30 mins
Sunday: 5:30pm…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins

Monday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Monday: 5:30pm …6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins

Tuesday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Tuesday: 5:30pm …6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 26 mins

Wednesday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Wednesday: 5:30pm …Hit the gym and did some forearm workouts (per doctor’s orders I’m still not supposed to ANYTHING upper body L ), 4-5 sets of 15 rep calf extensions, then 45 minutes on the treadmill @ a 5.5* incline at 3.8 - 4 mph. Heartrate the entire time was 133-145.

Thursday: 5:15am... Took the morning off from cardio as my legs and knees are beat from all the new abuse of all the hard and constant peddling.
Thursday: 5:30pm...Hit the abs hard (and almost every day from here on out) + a 30 minute treadmill session. (would have gone 45 but I just bought new running shoes and my feet were hurting like hell as they are not used to them)

Friday: 5:15am…6+ miles on the mountain bike in about 28 mins
Friday: 6:00pm…plan to do 6+ miles on the mountain bike in 26-27 mins...then some lawn cutting and yard work. YAAAAAAAAAAAY. :lol:

The Master Cleanse worked alright. I did it for 8.5 days and lost 23 lbs. In all fairness the weight loss started at my highest, bloated from anesthesia, weight of 250.8 lbs. Ended at about 227 lbs. Really the cleanse boosted my morale more than anything. Real number weight loss was about 12-13 lbs or so...I was in the low 240 range before my surgery. After a day or two of eating and getting back to normal after the cleanse I was at like 231-232 lbs. I expected to put a few lbs back on when I started eating again, so I didn’t sweat it. I took 2 days to help the sole with yummy food vs good for me food. Either way, I’m back at the correct diet, cardio, and weights…though they’re really only legs right now. Either way, the fat is coming off and the mirror is really looking a LOT better.


That’s where I’m at right now. Not littlemags gains, but it’s what I can do with a busy life, job, wife, and 2 kids…and having just had surgery 2 weeks ago.

damn brotha , your a bad dude.. u can do all that with your hair gelled up ?? the more u spike it the more u increase resistance... keep that in mind.

 

[Crazzy_Al]

damn brotha , your a bad dude.. u can do all that with your hair gelled up ?? the more u spike it the more u increase resistance... keep that in mind.

I maintain a level of awesome that's so high it's virtually unable to even be seen by most.