Weights - Friday 7/12/2012


seated calf raise 3 x 8 x 60 kg
seated row 2 x 12 x 40
biceps curl 3 x 10 x 15
leg press 3 x 12 x 80 kg
prone leg curl 3 x 8 x 20 kg
Pec deck 2 x 12 x 25 kg 1 x 10 x 25
triceps pushdown 3 x 12 x 20 kg
lateral pulldown 3 x 8 x 45 kg
Bench press 3 x 8 x 35

Cardio

Friday - 15 minute jog on the treadmill
Saturday - 40 minute walk

Week 14 Weigh-in December 8th 2012

Start weight: 228 pounds
Last week: 214 pounds
Current weight: 214 pounds

Weight change this week: 0
Total weight loss: 14 pounds

Congrats on the weightloss so far - I haven't read your entire thread but is there a reason you are sticking with the machine workout rather than doing some barbell/dumbbell exercises? Learning the barbell lifts is a nice challenge when you start and would surely get you more dramatic results than doing a bunch of isolation exercises like calf raises and triceps pushdowns.

Availability. I have the starting strength book on my kindle (would recommend a printed version to anybody getting it by the way) and the video, but have no barbell set up in the gym that I attend. I do get to bench press, there is a station set up for this. There is also a Smith machine but the wiki article doesn't really encourage me to try and use such an awkward piece of equipment. I do have access to dumbbells. I'm going to have maybe 3-4 gym sessions before going away for five weeks. Including dumbbell routines is certainly something I'd be interested in looking at. I'll add it to the list of things to consider over Christmas.

Are there any dumb bell routines in particular that you recommend?

Doesn't look like you are deadlifting so you could try some single leg deadlifts using dumbbells, it would probably be a whole lot better than the prone leg curls.

Also it looks like you have a bar on the bench setup and a straight barbell above all the ez curl ones? You could grab one of them and do cleans and front squats with it.

I don't know about dead-lifting because of the small area of this gym and the lack of space + amount of noise it makes. I don't know, I don't see anyone else doing it. I had thought of this as a back exercise.

Its true there is a straight barbell, its just not set up like on SS. I could squat and clean (I'll remember what that is when I google). I'm also definitely going to do the shoulder exercise that was mentioned earlier. These are all good ideas I'll try when I get back after Christmas, I think I'll keep things simple until then. I also intend to look into HIIT over Christmas as I think that combined with weights might be the way to get the fat loss moving.

Weights - Monday 10/12/2012


seated calf raise 3 x 10 x 60 kg
seated row 3 x 12 x 40
biceps curl 1 x 8 x 15, 2 x 6 x 15 this one just not happening for me today.
leg press 3 x 12 x 90 kg
prone leg curl 3 x 10 x 20 kg
Pec deck 3 x 12 x 25 kg
triceps pushdown 3 x 12 x 20 kg
lateral pulldown 3 x 8 x 45 kg
Bench press 3 x 10 x 35

Cardio

10 minute jog on the treadmill. I experimented a little with different speeds.

Weights - Wednesday 12/12/2012


seated calf raise 3 x 12 x 60 kg
seated row 3 x 12 x 40
biceps curl 3 x 8 x 15
leg press 3 x 12 x 90 kg
prone leg curl 3 x 8 x 25 kg
Pec deck 3 x 12 x 25 kg
triceps pushdown 3 x 12 x 20 kg Tried 25 but it was too much at present
lateral pulldown 2 x 8 x 45 kg, 1 x 10 x 46
Bench press 2 x 12 x 35, 1 x 10 x 35

Weights - Friday 12/12/2012



seated row 3 x 12 x 40
biceps curl 3 x 8 x 15
Pec deck 3 x 12 x 25 kg
triceps pushdown 3 x 12 x 20 kg
lateral pulldown 3 x 12 x 40 kg Had to use a different machine,without 5kg wt at top
Bench press 2 x 12 x 35, 1 x 10 x 35

A little over 10 minutes on the treadmill
I got my timing wrong so missed the leg exercises (gym closing).

Week 15 Weigh-in December 8th 2012

Start weight: 228 pounds
Last week: 214 pounds
Current weight: 212 pounds

Weight loss this week: 2
Total weight loss: 16 pounds

Finally some movement again. This will be my last weekly weigh-in on these scales for some weeks.

Here is a report of a recent study which is a bit less pro-weight training for fat loss than some others:

http://news.yahoo.com/running-not-we...052236784.html

I got to really like the running, but the recent weather has put it on ice (literally). Its definitely something I want to do more of. There is a single treadmill only at the gym I attend, so its not like I can really go there just with the intention of running. I'm not sure if I'll be able to run in Scotland over the Christmas break, if the weather is OK I'll do so.

I'd love to read that study, but it costs $20. Ridiculous.

Another article about it did mention a couple things:

The cardio group lost 3.8# on average over 8 months. That's pretty pathetic, imo. 1/8 of a pound a week.

The cardio + resistance group lost 3.6# on average over 8 months. Also pathetic for a weight loss program. But, these were sedentary overweight or obese people. If the resistance program was any good, they would have gained more than 4 pounds of muscle , since they didn't seem to be on any kind of caloric restriction. So, that'd be twice as much fat loss in twice as much time.

It was mentioned that the waist measurement of the resistance+cardio group showed the best result. That's definitely a better measure of fat loss than bodyweight.

Anybody have a subscription and actually read the thing?

I haven't read the full article either. Nit-picking, the gain in muscle would double the effect on body fat percentage rather than the fat loss itself.

The 1/8 pound a week, was that weight loss or fat loss? It does sound to be a very small amount.

Yeah, that article doesn't even say if the 3.6/3.8 pounds is fat loss or weight loss. There's just not enough information in the 2nd sources to see what it's doing.

Here's another study from 2011 showing similar results. Cardio better than resistance for fat deposit area given no diet plan.

Personally, I feel like resistance training makes me even more hungry than the calories it burns. My first month or so on SS I didn't watch my food intake, and I gained 10 or 12 pounds even eating reasonably healthy food. I was just like 1000 calories hungrier every day, and SS didn't burn that many. At least 4 or 5 of those pounds were fat for sure, some muscle and some water.

I think results of studies on people who are not on a diet aren't really relevant to what works best for people on a diet.

Strangely I don't find weight training makes me really hungry. Maybe I would if I was doing more free weights. The bench press is the only one that really gets me sweating/breathing.

Sunday 16 December - Cardio

Eliptical trainier - 20 minutes
Treadmill - 20 minutes
Elliptical trainer - 22 minutes or so

I found a gym with proper equipment. Its not as convenient as the other one but will sort out my cardio while the weather is too severe for running. Yesterday I tried a youtube exercise routine and tweaked my shoulder slightly. Ironic as that is the section I have not been training. come to think of it that might be why it was tweaked. Three quarters of an hour with the elliptical trainer didn't help settle it down. I can't see it being a problem though.

Monthly Stats

Start weight (September): 228 pounds Last month: 214 pounds Current 211 Monthly weight loss 3 pounds. Total log weight loss 17 pounds. Weight loss since beginning of the year - 29 pounds.

Starting body fat (September): 37.7 Last month 33.7 Current 32.8 Total loss 4.9%

Waist measurement - I hope to learn how to measure this properly over the Christmas break.

One pound down since Saturday. I'm flying on Thursday, so I'll use this weight to try and gauge the scales I will be using in the UK.

Weights - Tuesday 18/12/2012

seated calf raise 3 x 12 x 60 kg
biceps curl 3 x 8 x 15
leg press 3 x 12 x 90 kg
prone leg curl 3 x 10 x 20 kg
triceps pushdown 3 x 12 x 20 kg
Adductor exercise 2 x 12 x full stack
elevated seat 2 x 12
5 minutes treadmill, 5 minutes exercise bike

I skipped some exercises to be super-cautious about my shoulder which I tweaked slightly at the weekend. This will be my last session at this gym for a few weeks.

Pushups, air squats and planks!

I've noticed you don't have any "core" specific exercises.

While all lifts can work the core if you keep it tight throughout the lift - leg press for example is a good one you do already - you should probably add in a true core exercise like planks. A strong core will lead to overall strength gains as your body isn't fighting to right itself as much.

Yes, I should look at doing some bodyweight exercises while I am away. I found a gym on Friday and went, it's now shut for two weeks. I did the normal triceps an calf raise then some different machines, chest press etc. I also did cardio on the eliptical and treadmill. Yesterday I had a swim and walk.

When I get back to the normal gym, how about using the raised chair for core? A good few people use it.

You mean this, or something like it?


Yes, doing leg raises and working to L-Sits is a great core exercise, but nothing quite hits the "inner" abs, the tranverse abdominals, and the obliques quite like a good ol' plank.

OK Thanks for the info. I will probably end up doing both, but maybe the planks at home. I don't think it's something I need to rest from on a non gym day, I may even do it before or after cardio. Yes, it's exactly like that but doesn't come with the girl unfortunately

It's not going great at the moment. I realise that I got good at managing things when in charge of all my own cooking and have a gym nearby.

The grim truth of my present situation is that I am surrounded by fatties, some of whom gain pleasure from seeing me overeat. Throughout the day I am offered cake, mince pies and such like. Still, the meals themselves are healthy. If anything they could be more filling, more protenous. Today lunch was lentil soup. Can't argue with that.

I can't really blame others. Good healthy food is on offer. I just need to learn different psychological strategies that I did not need before. I wanted a week or so at maintenance after months on a deficit. If my logging is correct I'm near maintenance some days, or a couple of hundred calories over. Long term I do need to think about how to deal with these situations. Putting many pounds back on at this stage would really stress me out.

Just remember, even if you're near maintenance, with a change from your normal eating habits you could possible put on a couple of pounds fairly quickly due to retaining water from more carbs and salt. This obviously depends on exactly what you're eating now versus when you're in your normal groove--but I put on 3 or 4 pounds super fast whenever I get off my normal habits even for a couple of days. It comes right back off just as fast though so don't get overly concerned about it imo.

Good point. I shouldn't take too much notice of the scales until I get back in the rhythm. I only have dodgy analogue scales here anyway. Had a better day today, only around 2000 calories.