Progress – Best Measures

I have written before about the different means of measuring your success, but I thought I would upload an example of how different means can help when others, such as the scales, are telling a different story.

I use the scales, a lot, in fact too much!!  And if you do this too you will quickly find when you rely on them, now 10 weeks solid for me, that they tend to deviate from the truth every now and then.  This is especially true for us women, whose monthly visitor brings with her the joys of extra water retention.  This is where other means of measuring your progress can help.

I have been using the scales for weight, bodyfat and lean muscle percentage, a measuring tape, clothes that I previously could not wear, my friends and family, the mirror and most importantly photos.  I the last two weeks my weight has barely budged but have a look at the photos below:

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Now granted the poses are different, but in both I am trying to spread my lats. The point of this post is that the best way to measure your success is to measure it with as many different means as you can. I have found that usually the photos do not lie, but the measuring tape is a good indicator as well.

If after 2 weeks, you have not made any measurable progress then it is time to look firstly at your diet and secondly your training.

Protein Pancake – for Pancake Tuesday

Today is the day that traditionally everyone eats pancakes, unfortunately for me I am 7.5 weeks out from my first competition and am not breaking for a cheat meal mid-week; and I don’t care that EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT LOL.

So I decided to make a special protein pancake that fits in perfectly with my diet, and here it is for all to share.  I will add photos later – I am not making mine till before my workout this afternoon because I am currently doing targeted carbs.

To make 1 pancake:

• 1/2 cup of rye flakes (you can also use oats) – remove these if you are not having carbs at all
• 1 scoop protein powder – I like chocolate but any flavour works well
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup Egg Whites – or if you are breaking eggs then it would be an extra 3
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp almond flavouring

That is the base – what you add after that is your choice.  I will be adding 10g berries, 35g banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter (no added sugar or salt).   I have found that a non-stick pan works best and I cook mine in good oil for some extra good fats.

If you still want some of the treat of Pancake Tuesday why not add a tsp of honey?? Enjoy

Week 0 – Training to Compete in Figure 2011

Before I describe my week zero training I just wanted to explain that these sections will document both my cardio and strength training.  Both are important for reaching my competition goals.  Please be aware that the number of repetitions, frequency of workouts and size of weights I am lifting has been achieved after over 3 years of training and under no circumstances should you attempt the weight or frequency of my workouts if you are new to strength training.  I will not always reference the actual weight as it is more important that someone manages the number of sets and reps.  I have some easy home circuits posted, which would be a good starting point for someone looking to increase their body strength.

I will be adding a terminology section where any terms used to describe the workouts will be explained.

Week zero training: in the first week my goal for strength training was to ensure I hit every major muscle group once and that I completed a warm up and cool down.

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Monday – Shoulders

Warm up: punchbag 10 mins

Working sets:

Giant Set with dumbbells – lateral raises, shoulder press & bent over rear deltoid raises.  3 sets of decreasing number of reps while increasing weight: 15, 12 and 10.

Shrugs to failure (dumbbells): 3 sets: 20, 20 and 10.

Lateral raises with resistance bands: 1 set of 30 reps at very slow and controlled tempo.

Standing skull crushers (dumbbells): 1 set of 20 reps

Cool down: punchbag and stretch

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Tuesday – Back

Warm up: 10 mins rowing machine

Working sets:

Wide grip pulldowns (cable and plates): 4 sets with set 1 being a warmup weight: 15, 8, 8 and 9 – best lift 3 @ 60kg followed by 6 @ 30kg very wide and slow.

Low Row (plates machine): one set to failure – wide grip

Bentover Rows (dumbbells): 3 sets;  starting on 12x16kg and finishing with slow reps on 10x10kg

Lat. Pulldown (machine): 4 sets; finishing on a dropset of 10x35kg and 5x20kg

Reverse grip pulldown (cable and plates): one set to failure; 10x35kg followed by 10x20kg

Upper back (machine): 3 sets finishing on a very slow set of 10x15kg.

Cool Down: stretching

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Wednesday – Chest

Warmup: 10 mins cross trainer

Working sets:

Inclined Chest Press (machine): 4 sets finishing on a drop set of 6x40kg; 6x20kg

Peck Deck (machine) 4 sets finishing on 10x25kg

Chest Press (wires): 4 sets finishing on a drop set of 7x10kg; 7x5kg

Dumbbell Pullovers: 2 sets using 14kg DB

Declined Press Ups: 2 sets to failure of 10 and 6

Cool Down: Stretching and 10 min on bike

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Saturday – Legs (this is technically the start of week 1)

Warm Up: 10 mins bike

Working Sets (aiming for high reps):

Leg Press (feet high and close together): 5 sets of 20 reps

Leg Curls and Leg Extentions performed as a superset: 4 sets of 25 reps each

Cool Down: Stretching and 10 mins bike

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As you can see I managed to target each of the major muscle groups, i.e. Back, Chest, Shoulders and Legs. As the weeks progress I will be doing different split routines and actually doing strength training 5 days a week instead of 4, as arms will require special attention. You will notice that the routines follow different patterns, from concentrating on slow reps to performing a very high number of reps (Legs), this will change from week to week as you want to keep your body guessing.

It is important to note that the body is very good to adapting to what you are doing in order to conserve calories and ultimately bodyfat, this means it is essential to continually change-up the workouts. In addition, changing the routines can also help you from becoming complacent.

There was not much cardio performed in the first week as I believe adding in everything at once can be too overwhelming, even for someone who is used to working out.  I wanted to take the preparation slowly and add in different aspects week on week.  This allowed me to adjust my schedule and routine as required and to adapt it around my work and home life.

Week 0 – Planning to Compete in Figure 2011

Week zero planning: for me this week was really about ridding myself of the Christmas bad habits and planning out the next 17 weeks to get me to the competition in the best shape I had ever been.

Things I did that week included:

1. Junk Food: I dumped or gave away any junk food in the house, including cakes, biscuits, bread and sweets.
2. Alcohol: The start of training signalled the end of regular drinking.  I am not a heavy drinker anyway but I would usually have one/two on a Thursday night and drink one night of the weekend.  This was all to end and I selected a few dates during the next 17 weeks that I would allow myself to drink for special occasions – otherwise I planned to be the driver.
3. Spreading the Word:  I told my family, my real life and online friends and any strangers that would listen that I had decided to compete – this is the year I compete I told them.
4. Joining Active communities: I already have a bodyspace profile which I have used since I started my fitness journey so I involved the friends I had on there.  I also joined a local UK forum to make more friends with people who share the same goals as me.

I also took all my starting measurements and photos (I will upload these at a later date):

• Weight – 69.1kg
• Bodyfat % – 23.4%
• Waist – 29.5 inches
• Hips – 36.5 inches
• Bum – 40 inches
• Thighs – (L) 22.5 inches (R) 23 inches
• Arms – (L) 12 inches (R) 12 inches

I did not start recording all my food that week but simply cut out any junk and limited my carb in take in the evening.  I am going to put up my training for that week at a later date and link the posts together.  There will be a competition page created by the end of this week where I will add all the details of my training to it.  I am currently in week 6 and have lost nearly 10lbs.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High intensity interval training (HIIT) will allow you to burn more calories while spending less time at the gym, improve your endurance performance and raise your resting metabolic rate for the next 24 hours – sounds too good to be true but it’s not.

First off I would like to point out that these sessions are intended to complement your longer aerobic workouts not replace them.  If you mix up your routine, i.e. complete a combination of long moderate cardio and short HIIT sessions in your workout week you will see maximum benefits.

A Sample HIIT Session:

Complete a 5 min warm up on a piece of cardio equipment of your choice or a brisk walk if training outside, followed by stretches, if you desire.

There are many ways to perform a HIIT session and you will hopefully find one that suits you.  I prefer to do it on the treadmill in 3 steps.  Complete each step in the time indicated and then start at step 1 again, aim for 5 / 10 sets:

1. Brisk Walking Pace, 6 / 7 km per hour ( level 6 ) – 1 .5 mins [recovery]
2. Jogging Pace, 8.5 / 9.5 km per hour ( level 8 ) – 45 seconds
3. Sprinting Pace, 12 km per hour ( level 9 ) – 30 / 45 seconds

At the end cool down for 5 mins and complete a set of stretches holding each for 30 seconds.

Instead of marking your pace with a speed you can use the Perceived Exertion Scale, level in brackets beside my speeds.

You can also use a heart rate monitor to ensure you are working at the right intensity.  Step 1 would be equivalent to 60% maximum heart rate, step 2 to 80% and step 3 to 90/95%.

A HIIT session is different for each person and you can simply alternate between sprinting and recovery if you prefer.  It is supposed to be difficult and if you find after 20 mins you could go on forever you are not working hard enough.

There are hundreds of articles on the web covering different ways to complete a HIIT session and it is best to try a few and see what works best for you.  What I can tell you is that by doing a couple of these sessions a week your fat loss will step up a gear (assuming you are being mindful of what you eat of course ).

Arms and Shoulders Weights Workout

This workout will target your biceps, triceps and shoulders.  If you would like nice toned arms for when the summer vest tops make an appearance this is the workout for you.

Cardio Warm Up:  5 / 10 mins on a cardio machine of your choice – I usually go for the cross trainer when I am targeting arms, or you could do the arm bike if one is available.

It is a good idea to do some additional warming up when working the arms if you are not used to working them or have not done them for a while.

Weights Warm Up: do 12 / 15 reps of each exercise with a light weight at a moderate pace concentrating on correct form and breathing, rest for 60 seconds between each exercise.

1. Bicep Curl followed by a Shoulder Press with dumbbells
2. Shrugs
3. Lateral Raises

If you don’t want to do the warm up exercises separately simply do an extra set at the beginning of each exercise lifting a light weight for 12 / 15 reps – I will add this in for the triceps as they are the 3rd set of exercises and I feel that they would have cooled down by the time they are being worked otherwise.

Main Workout:

Shoulder Press with Dumbbells 12 / 10 / 8 reps

Bicep Curls with Dumbbells 12 / 10 / 8 reps

Tricep Pushdowns with cables 15 / 12 / 10/ 8 reps

Lateral Raises with dumbbells 12/ 10/ 8 reps

Preacher Curl with cables 12/ 10/ 8 reps

Overhead tricep extension with dumbbell / weight plate 12/ 10 / 8 reps

Cool Down and Stretch: 5 / 10 mins on a cardio machine followed by upper body stretching holding each stretch for 30 seconds.

If you are feeling full of energy you could follow this weights session with a 20 / 30 minute cardio session.  This will target fat burning as you are training at a time when your glycogen levels are depleted from the weight training .

Various Ways to Measure your Success

Becoming a slave to the scales will not help in your quest to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  There will be times when the scale does not move even when you are doing everything by the book.  Most of us would like to lose some weight, but if week after week the scales do not move it can be very disheartening.  There are other ways you can measure your success in conjunction with the scales and I would advise trying at least one of these:

Before and After Photos:

Take a set of photos from the front, side and rear in swim wear, best if it’s a bikini.  Photos do not lie and it will be rewarding to see how you body is changing.  Try to take a set of progress photos every 2 weeks and compare them – sometimes if nothing else is changing you will see some improvement in posture or shape.

Tape Measurements:

Using a measuring tape and noting the size of some key areas can be a good way of measuring success.  I would suggest chest, waist, hips, bum, thighs and top of arms.  If the scales do not move but you have lost an inch on your bum I would doubt you’ll be unhappy.

Clothing:

I would think a lot of us have a piece of clothing we would either like to get back into or have bought in the hope of being able to wear, well now is the time to put that item to work.  One point I would make is that if you are a size 12 and the item is a size 6 that might not be the best item to select, try for an item one size smaller than you are now.  Try it on once a fortnight and you may be pleasantly surprised.  I find that hanging a lovely piece of clothing in plain view everyday that I can’t wear yet is an excellent motivator.

So there you have it 4 ways (scales, tape, photos and clothing) to measure your success.  It does take time for the body to adjust to a new lifestyle so be patient and don’t give up.

Sludge – A Healthy (High Protein) Snack

So you have had your treats for the week and are trying to be “good”.  What can you eat that will taste great but not ruin your healthy eating routine?

One healthy snack I love to make is called Sludge, ok so it doesn’t sound that appetising, but it is so tasty and filling. Also you can add whatever extras you fancy (as long as it’s not a Mars Bar ).

Main Ingredients:

• 1 heaped tablespoon of peanut butter (preferably no added sugar / no added salt)
• 1 scoop of protein powder ( I usually go for Chocolate )
• 1/3 cup water (or semi-skimmed milk)

Optional Extras:

• Frozen fruit (thawed slightly or completely)
• Dried fruit
• Honey
• Nuts

This snack is as simple as mix all the main ingredients together, add more or less liquid depending on how you would like it and then add your optional extras.  Go easy on the honey, but adding something like frozen raspberries gives it some sweetness.  You could add some type of sugar-free sweetener if you like.

If you don’t have protein powder (www.myprotein.co.uk) in the house then try adding a handful of oats, you will need less liquid if you are doing this.  Remember this will increase the carb and reduce the protein content of the snack.

One final tip is leave it in the fridge for a while to cool – it makes a great healthy alternative to ice cream.  Enjoy

Finding and Maintaining the Motivation

We all have our reasons for wanting to start a healthy eating / fitness routine. It may be that we want to fit back into lovely clothes we have in our wardrobes (ME), or that we want to look good naked (ME), or we want more energy (ME), or it could be for health reasons (ME, ME, ME).

Whatever your reason is, it is important to set small motivational tasks along the way, as well as focusing on the end goal.

These small tasks are what will keep you at it during the weeks and months it may take to reach your goal.  And the honest fact is that a healthy eating / fitness routine is not just for summer, it is a lifetime goal.

Every time you achieve one of your small goals think of a suitable reward, it may be a trip to the cinema, a new piece of clothing, or a nice meal.  But whatever it is focus on the fact that you can achieve what you set out to do and be pleased with yourself.

In order to make setting these tasks easier go to freedup and create yourself a motivation chart.  I have mine on my bedroom wall so I can see it each morning when I wake up, it reminds me of what I had planned for myself that day.

My new motivation task (apart from writing this blog) is to train for a relay leg in the local Marathon – I am doing 5.3 miles to raise some money for charity.  I have 5 weeks to get up to speed, I can currently run 3.5 miles at a push so I aim to be able to do 6 miles before the day of the marathon, 3rd May 2010 – wish me luck

Heavy Weights Workout – Back

This is a high intensity weights workout directed at the Back.  High Intensity means is that you will be aiming to do your maximum weight for 3 sets but you only have to do 6 – 8 reps.  Before you start any of the heavy reps you need to complete a warm up set (12 / 15 reps) for EACH exercise or you may hurt yourself.  Rest for 1 minute between sets.

Warm up for 10 mins on a cardio machine of your choice – rowing or crosstrainer are good when doing upper body workouts.

1. Wide grip lateral pulldown:

1 x 12 / 15;  (for example 12 x 30kg to warm up)

3 x 6 / 8;  (for example 8 x 40kg; 8 x 40kg; 7 x 50kg)

2. Close grip low row machine: 1 x 12 / 15 ; 3 x 6 / 8
3. Lateral pull down machine: 1 x 12 / 15 ; 3 x 6 / 8
4. Bent over dumbbell rows: 1 x 12 / 15 ; 3 x 6 / 8
5. Rear deltoid row machine: 1 x 12 / 15 ; 3 x 6 / 8

You will complete 4 sets for each of the 5 exercises.  After that aim to do 15 / 20 minutes low intensity cardio.  And remember that stretching is important, this can be done on the bike while you are doing your cardio (Multitasking).

Remember your maximum may be different to mine, especially if you are only starting out.  What is important with high intensity workouts is that you are hitting YOUR MAXIMUM weight.  This may take some trail and error, best bet is to write down what weights you managed each workout and aim to improve on that the next time.  You may be surprised how heavy you can lift.