Ok, I’ve loooked at some of the routines posted here (The GH Fat Loss, etc.) and I’ve come up with a hybrid beast that fits into my schedule. The question I have is a) what should I change to make it more effective and b) What sort of results should I expect?? Here’s what I’ve tried so far:
Front Squat to Push Press (5x5 w/135 lbs) - Push Press is definitely the weak link, legs can do a lot more, 25 second rest between sets
DeadLift (5x5 w/ 305 lbs) supersetted with Burpee Pushups (5x15-20)
And then I did some abs, Front Plank (60 sec), Flutter Kicks (60 secs), and then 30 v-up leg lifts and crunchs. Followed up by 20 minutes of 1:1 interval sprints.
First of all, it was fun to turn heads in the gym again. Not many people in Bangkok deadlift, I guess
And I was able to do this whole crazy routine in the squat rack area in about 25 minutes (I’ve been spending upwards of 2 hours trying to do whole-body routines up to now). Plus, I was actually sore this morning for a change - mostly because of the short rest and little heavier weight, I think.
Anyway, will this be effective long term for weight loss? What should I change up? My plan is to do this (or variations of it) 3 times a week, and 45 min steady state cardio another 3 days. Goal is getting from 21% BF down to under 10% in about 6 months. Thoughts?
I managed to go from around 20% to under 10% in about 6 months. I think the workout above looks ok, but I would avoid the steady state cardio and swap it for something like 20-30 minutes of HIIT (on a bike or running). Theonly steady state work I would do might be one day of 30 minutes on as steep a setting as you can find on a treadmill.
For me, the big workouts took place in the kitchen! Pick up Bernardi’s “Gourmet Nutrition” and get some HOT-ROX. Getting my diet under control and really eliminating the complex carbs were what did the trick.
My trainer told me that losing fat is simple, just not easy…
The diet thing is the hard part, but I do think I have it under control. I’m trying a slight variation of the V-Diet (awesome thread and support for that here) and I think recovery is the best it’s ever been (even better than when I was a snot-nosed twenty year old)… Something about finally getting enough protein and drinking enough water, timing my carbs properly, etc.
About two years ago now, I started this supervised medical based diet and excersize program at my health club; run by doctors and everything. I started out at about 350+ pounds (thats as high as the scales would go anyway), and now I’m around 270 at 21% BF. They started me out on a 3x lifting per week light total body routine and 2x a week light cardio (like walking for 45 minutes), and on this I lost about 100 lbs over the course of 9 months.
I’ve been off this “pansy” light lifting and steady state cardio routine for about a year now. I’ve been alternating between different body building type splits and (most recently) full body routines, switching up tempos and set/rep combos (drop sets of 12 are killer). While I’ve held steady at 270, I notice my body comp (bf%) dropping steadily as I lift heavier and do a bit less cardio (running and sprinting on treadmill now). I’d like to get back to the rate of fat loss I had while I was “on program” to finally get below 10% BF again, but I seem stalled - at least on the overall weight loss.
I really don’t want to carry this much body mass, as my goal is not to be a powerlifter/strongman or even a body builder - which I’m starting to look like. I’m more the martial arts/functional fitness type (at least in my mind - my genetics seems to dictate that I build and retain muscle mass almost effortlessly). So, I took a look at the programs here and was especially impressed by the RFFL and GH programs and thought I’d try to combine them and modify them a little to work better in the time/space I have available to me here in Bangkok (where everything seems smaller).
I’m not sure how important it is for me to have an A/B type of split or if I can just do what I posted above 3 times a week for a while. It was nice being able to get into and out of the gym so quickly (by comparison, I’m usually there for over 1-hours every day), and for some reason, this is the best afterburn I’ve had in a while of training (next day soreness and constant light sweat).
I added some stuff to the workout. It looks a bit better now, I think.
a) Flat Bench Press, 3x10 @ 235 lbs supersetted with v-ups and reverse crunches on the bench.
b) Front Squat 5x5 @ 135 lbs w/ Push Press Combo lift (from RFFL)
c) Heavy(ish) DeadLifts 5x5 @ 405 lbs w/ Burpee Pushups (5x20) Superset
d) Bent-Over Rows 3x10 @ 135 lbs w/ Stiff Legged DeadLift combo (also borrowed from RFFL, sort of)
e) Single Leg Press 3x10 @ 385 w/ Calf Press 3x10 (same weight, no rest)
f) Abs as before, but did 4 circuits of them this time
This whole thing took me under 50 minutes, and lets just say I had a hard time changing my clothes afterwards. Keeping under 30 seconds between sets is, in and of itself, just a killer change to my usual routine. That and using really strict form and keeping to a 3:1:1 tempo. I highly advise it if your trying to “cut up”. Thoughts?
[quote]formfunction wrote:
Not to hijack this thread…
Just curious thr61, What were your before and after scale weights i.e. what did you weigh @ 20% BF and your weight @ 10%?
Thanks![/quote]
I was about 203 at 20+% BF and dropped as low as 173. I have been working to add lean mass and am now at 184 and about 8% BF. The avatar photo is from the 173 days…
