So today I thought I would let the readers take a look at what I’m currently doing to improve my health. First, let me explain peices of recent history. I got back into my workout routine 3 months ago after a 6 month break. Everything was progressing how I wanted it too. At this time, I didn’t have my diet together and was just eating whatever came to me. 3 weeks ago as I was squatting, I felt a painful pinch in my lower to mid back. I was moving up in weight too quickly. My muscles could handle the weight just fine, but my bones, tendons, and ligaments were under too much stress. Since that point I continued with the rest of my routine, but skipping squats and deadlifts to take pressure away from my back.
After 2 weeks of small improvements, I decided to change up my whole routine to strengthen my joints and core. I need to recover from these injuries so that I can begin heavier lifting and lower repititions for more strength development. Along with this exercise routine change, I’m cleaning up my diet. I want to focus on cutting some body fat while keeping as much muscle as possible. Remember, losing fat while gaining muscle is a nearly impossible feat to accomplish. So, if you want to cut fat, just focus on preserving the muscle you have. And this works vice versa for gaining muscle. For best muscle gain results, don’t worry about gaining some fat.
This past week, I began this diet and began a cardio regimin while taking a break from the weights. I will be doing 3 days a week on the elyptical. I will keep my heart rate between 120 and 140. This is my best range for fat loss. These cardio days will last 30 minutes week 1 and increase by 5 minutes each week. I will do cardio on my off days from weights which will be further explained later. Like I said before, I am trying to preserve as much muscle as possible while losing the most amount of body fat. So, I will be trading some of my light elyptical cardio days with a 20 minute High Intensity Interval Training. These exercises are perfect for boosting the metabolism and burning fat, but they are extremely difficult.
I will be keeping track of my measurements weekly. I want to make sure, I’m losing the fat and not the muscle. Also, I have to make sure I’m developing in the right areas. I use a small black notebook to journal everything I’m doing. So far after 1 week, I’ve dropped from 202 lbs. at 19% body fat to 199 lbs. at 17.8% body fat. This is a 3 pound drop of body fat and a .03 pound loss of muscle. This week loss tells me to keep up with what I’m doing. Don’t fix something that isn’t broke. If the numbers start tilting in the wrong direction, I will tweak my diet slightly to keep the good results coming.
I will post another post at the end of the four weeks and let you guys know the results. below is my current cut diet and exercise routine.
Diet
- Meal 1:
- Glass of Orange Juice
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil (i put it in my orange juice)
- Bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with milk
- Cup of Green Tea
- Meal 2:
- Ham Sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread + 3 slices Ham)
- Glass of Skim Milk \
- 1 Fruit
- 2 Flax Seed Pills (each contain around 10 calories of flax seed oil)
- Meal 3:
- Ham Sandwich (1 slice whole wheat bread + 2 slices Ham)
- 1/2 cup Brown Rice
- 2 Flax Seed Pills
- Large Salad
- Meal 4:
- 2 oz. Whole Wheat Pasta
- 5 oz. Chicken
- 1 serving Vegetables
- Meal 5:
- 1 slice Whole Wheat Bread
- 2 tbsp. Peanut Butter
- Meal 6:
- 2 eggs
- Glass of Skim Milk
- 1 Fruit
This comes out to be 2626 calories, 161g protein, 374g carb, 72g fat
As you can see in the diet, I’m not using any powders or supplements. I have used whey protein for the past 8 years and I’m giving a diet a try of all natural foods. I will put protein powders back in my diet later on in life.
If I start to notice weight not coming off, I have a plan of action already in place. I am doing plenty of exercise already, so all tweaks will be with my diet. My first move will be remove 1 oz. of whole wheat pasta. This will drop my diet by around 100 calories. If this still doesn’t do the trick, 1/4 of brown rice(230 calories) will be taken out for a week. Then a slice of ham and a slice of whole wheat bread will be gone. This would bring me down to around 2100 calories and I refuse to go under that amount. There is too much muscle loss for me below this point.
Exercise Routine
- Monday (Back/Biceps)
- 3 sets of 15 Medicine Ball Toss, +5 reps each week
- 3 sets of 15 Hyperextensions, + weight and reps each week
- 3 sets of 10 Chins, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 15 Bent Over Rows, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 15 Dumbbell Bicep Curls, +weight each week
- 3 sets of 15 Dumbbell Shrugs, + weight each week
- Tuesday (Cardio/Abs)
- 35 minutes Elyptical, Heart Rate 120-140 or 20 minutes HIIT
- 3 sets of 20 Stability Ball Crunches, +5 reps each week
- Wednesday (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
- 3 sets of 15 Bench Press, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 15 Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 15 Tricep Extensions, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 15 Clap Pushups, +5 reps each week
- 3 sets of 15 Cable Reverse Flies, + weight each week
- 3 sets of maximum reps Dips, + reps each week
- Thursday (Cardio, Core)
- 35 minutes Elyptical, Heart Rate 120-140
- 3 sets of 30 seconds, + mins each week
- Friday (Legs)
- 3 sets of 15 Box Jumps, +5 reps each week
- 3 sets of 10 Glute Ham Raises, + reps
- 3 sets of 15 1 Leg Squat, + reps each week
- 3 sets of 15 Elevated Reverse Lunges, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 20 Calf Raisers, + weight each week
- 3 sets of 30 seconds, + min each week
- Saturday (Cardio, Rotator)
- 35 minutes Elyptical, Heart Rate 120-140
- Rotator Cuff Work
- Sunday (Rest)
This routine is designed like a beginner routine. I’m wanting the same results as a complete beginner to weight lifting. I want to develop tendon and ligament strength. My weights will be very light and I will go up small increments each week. This workout is a lot more volume then I usually perform. If there are any signs of over training, like an eye twitch or restless sleep, I will cut out some exercises.
Wish me Luck!
Travis
