I went to a bod pod for my bf test. Give it a shot and see if you can find one. The scales and electric impedance Omrom meters are not worth much under 10%BF in my experience also.
Bod Pod; had never heard of it, thanks! (fchat helping people get in shape). Found one an hour away. Will attemp to get an appt. this may be the lowest BF I will ever have. So much easier to stay around 10-12%.. Talked to my friend who is a PT and he said he water displacement tests are not very accurate under 10% BF, something like +/- 5% accuracy.
Sorry to hijack this thread temporarily. My updates will cease after the trip. I will post one wrap up of the 6 month campaign. 5 days till LV Update: New: 147.6 pounds and a BF of around ~6.x%. Weight barely coming off. I have been at 1050-1150 calories / day. That puts me losing 1.6 pounds of fat / week. There was a professional BF scale at my gym this week, an $9k unit [ InBody 520 ] Points: 1. It matched my home Beurer BF100 scale verbatim in weight and BF. Very good to have a confirmation of my home scale. Best non professional scale money can buy right now IMO. Diagnostic scales 2. It gave me a very precise readout, albeit not a gas displacement or water displacement machine. Still electrostatic. I have about 10 pounds of fat left on my body and I sort of need it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Time to set some new goals for the summer. 1.) ring muscle ups 2.) fifty unbroken dubs 3.) 350 lb dead lift 4.) sub five minute Fran 5.) 20 minute 5k 6.) one arm strict pullup I've been working out at least five times a week but I think if I go to 2x a day focusing on strength in the morning and endurance in the evening I can easily hit these marks. I'd really like to get all the bar brothers requirements but I'll try to focus on those when I get more muscle mass. Time will tell
Here is my final report from my 6 month journey from Jan 1 2013 to my Birthday weekend in Las Vegas May 23-27. I was able to get down to 147 pounds flat and 5-6% body fat. My jeans went from 32 to 30. The last few pounds were very difficult even eating <1000 calories / day for quite a while. I did lose muscle mass as you can probably see from my earlier pics, but thats fine. Was it worth it? Who knows... ...but it was fun and interesting to see where I could go with cutting. I may or may not have had VERY attractive 21 year old girls (not women), coming up and asking to touch my abs at the pool festivities. I would never disrespect my GF, but flattered I still was. Whats next? For the rest of the year I will be experimenting with Carb Cycling. This is suppose to allow you to Cut and Gain Muscle, which are typically mutually exclusive methods. On hard workout days I will intake high-carbs and on light days I will take in low-carbs. On off days I might take in NO-carbs (where NO is just very little). I want to gain back my muscle mass without bulking or going back up to 10% BF. I bought too many new 30/32 Jeans to have them not fit now . Good luck to everyone in their quest to reach their 2013 goals. Remember; You are half way through the year! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Trent - nice work and thanks for sharing. I experimented with a carb cycling / keto diet in the past. If I remember correctly it required to completely eliminate carbs until the body was in ketosis (which took me about 3 days), followed by 2 days of very low carb intake (50 grams), followed by a moderate day (100 grams) - and then one high day (500) and repeat.* I liked the the fact that it allowed me to get extremely lean in a hurry, but I feel that I lost more muscle compared to my normal low carb dieting. Additionally the "flat" look really bothered me.* Given that you're really lean - or unless you have low insulin sensitivity - I don't think cycling to the extreme (or any cycling for that matter) would benefit you much compared to being on a regular diet. But obviously nothing beats experimenting and finding out what works best for you. And based on your posts and pictures you achieved the goal you set yourself. Great job!!
Its interesting how many derivations of Carb cycling, ZigZag, etc there are. I have done a lot of research, and its time to put the rubber on the road and see where it takes me. From my reading I think I am a great candidate for my version of carb cycling because I have hit plateaus with cutting and a constant maintenance diet. I would better classify my diet as Calorie Cycling, with increased Carbs coming from increased calories and a minimal increase in Carb %. Carb Cycling: 3x High Calorie / Carb 3x Low Calorie / Carb 1x Very Low Calorie / Very Low Carb High Carb Days: 2400 cal : Mon, Wed, Thur (split 30% Carb, 20% Fat, 50% Protein) Low Carb Days: 1600 cal : Tue, Fri, Sat (split 15% Carb, 25% Fat, 60% Protein) No Carb Sunday: 1100 cal (split <10% Carb, 25% Fat, 65% Protein) Weekly Total: 13,100 cals (based on BMR 1600cal + Activity Avg 300cal/day minimum) Still taking: -C4 on workout days just before or during workouts -4000mg of Creatine -1000mg of L-Arginine -Green coffee bean extract : 2x per day -Six star french vanilla protein powder (30g protein from a 33g serving, isolate, almost no fillers) -Quest power bars are my new favorite because they replace sugar alcohols with plant based dietary fiber. Available on amazon and at the local GNC. Tastes great. I am looking to keep fitness interesting. No particular goal in mind.
What is the reasoning behind switching back from low to high carb days on consecutive days? Is this based on your workout schedule (sorry if you posted this before)? If so its an interesting approach - I used to do the opposite and adjusted workout schedule to diet. The plateau you have experienced in terms of problems building muscle or getting leaner?
I am sorry for not being clear; You are correct. My big workouts (large muscle groups, or multiple muscle groups, or maybe extra long) get the High Calories because on that day my body needs high calories. My less strenuous or lengthy workouts get the Low Calorie days (small groups like Back, cardio days, etc) My single no workout day, Sunday, gets super low Cutting type calories. The theory is that I should be able to add muscle mass while maintaining my low body fat. When I Cut I was losing mass or sometimes breaking even, depending on cut extreme. When I was holding a steady BMR+Activity diet I could gain muscle mass in small amounts, and hold ~10% BF. If I ate above my BMR+Activity it was easier to gain muscle mass, but it was buried in a sweater of fat, somewhere in the mid teens BF.
I think that might be part of your problem (hope you don't mind this comment) - but quite certain you are overtraining. And given your (great) shape I would assume you don't mess around and train really hard - just not enough time for your body to recover. We are the same age and I feel like making my best gains when lifting once every 4 or 5 days. Love the sweater fat = mid teens BF comment - given that you just spent a few days at a Vegas pool, I'm sure > 95% guys would have killed to be in your sweater fat shape to maybe have one of girls look at them instead of drooling over your mid section.
I used to do all of my muscle groups twice a week in a 3 day cycle. 3 - 3 - 1off. That worked until 30 years old. Then I switched to hitting one body part once a week as you recommend. i.e. I only hit chest once a week, legs once a week, etc. The only exceptions are the obvious, like Triceps are hit on chest day inadvertently, then they also get their own day. So I move them apart by 3x days. Mon-Tricepts ..... Thursday-Chest. And also cardio works legs, so once again, I separate them by at least 3 days. Now if you mean lifting once every 4 days, and maybe I assume hitting all muscle groups, that would make for a very long workout and cause issues like listed above with triceps and chest. Mon: 60min : Bi, Tri, legs, Abs-Hard Tue: 45min : Back Wed: 50min : Shoulders Thur: 60min : Chest, Abs-light Fri: 45min : Misc machine circuit Sat: 40min : Cardio Sun: Rest Here is a pic of the sweater guys at the LV Pool Scene... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Given how ripped you are and that I haven't exactly eaten great over the last few weeks I probably shouldn't post a picture, but here it goes after checking into my hotel tonight. Haven't been on a scale in a while but probably about 220 lbs at 5'11" I've been doing sort of a Mike Mentzer workout - have been doing this for the last 5 years after training for probably 20 years more conventional. Each one of my workouts takes about 25 minutes total, and I simply do one warm up set and one working set each. Each rep is performed very slow - about 4 seconds for the positive movement, squeeze muscle for 2 seconds, then 4 seconds for the negative, ect. So my one set of squats probably takes almost 2 minutes. Workout 1: Machine Squat - Warm up (12 reps) - working set to failure (once I can do 20 reps I up the weight). Front pull downs - Warm up set (12 reps) - working set to failure (up weight once I can do 10) Machine Incline Press - Warm up (12 reps) - working set to failure (once 10, I up the weight) Workout 2: Deadlifts - Warm up (12) - working set to failure (10 and up) Machine delt press - Warm up (12) - working set (10 and up) Seated calf raise - 2 working sets / 20 reps I've been doing these 6 exercises for the last 2 + years, nothing else. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You look great for 2x workouts per week at 50 minutes total. Until my final May 2013 cutting month, so the last 10 or so years, I have been doing 4x days on, 3 off, as listed above at about 3.5hrs per week (so no Fri or Sat). But then again I like going to the gym, adds some structure to my life. I have always stressed to everyone to do what is sustainable; you seem to have found such a worout. For example; P90x=not sustainable for most people and all people I know who have tried it. 1.5-3 hour gym workouts=not sustainable because most people just dont have that kind of free time. Humans are evolutionarily hunter gather creatures. We need to exert effort daily. I joke about opening a chicken restaurant where the birds are in a large pin out back, and when you order you are provided with a baseball bat. A graphic metaphor, but it's our biology.
I'm in Vegas now - too bad I missed your BD week by a couple. I think your hunter/gather theory (which is spot on BTW) was missed by the sweater crew - who already is out in full force at the pool today - judging every females physique that walks by (as they most likely did at the strip club last night - sitting safely 3 rows back from stage - don't know where they get the idea that acting like total d-bags might make them attractive to the weaker/smarter sex). Your posts/pics have certainly motivated me to drop a bit of BF over the next few weeks - nice job and thanks again for sharing!! Will post a few pics by the end of July.
a friend got me on The 4 ? Hour Body | An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex, and becoming superhuman Been following the advice & dropped 8 # since I started Diet is pretty much the same just got new supplements & not much working out. People starting to notice I lost weight Trying to get under 220 by July 4
This is one of the best feelings and can truly motivate you. I have mentioned this before in other threads but I dropped from 240-250lbs to under 190lbs and now I am sitting comfortably between 190-200. The feeling you get is truly an amazing one. You feel great, put that shirt on that you like, people ask how you did it, etc... Regardless of some of my personal successes this is near the top. I have a shirt on in the second picture but you can CLEARLY see a difference. I had people seriously asking if I did coke with the weight loss I did. I lost most of my weight in a 12 month span and have held it at the same weight since. First Pic: June 28, 2008 Second Pic: April 13, 2013 Keep going, it can be done but not by these weight watcher programs. A rather successful friend of mine put it this way, "If you truly want to quit smoking you will. However, it must be YOU who wants to quite. Those on the patch don't last, in most cases, because they want the patch to quit for them." Same goes for losing the weight. I changed my diet substantially and began a workout routine and I am still extremely pleased with my health. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
When real life hits...it hits with a vengeance! This is the first opportunity to surface that I've had in weeks, so it's time for an update. Trent: Wasn't ignoring you in any way, and I took many of your suggestions to heart. I loaded MyFitnessPal but unfortunately haven't had much time to get into it. The update: I started at 330. After my last doctor's visit today, I'm officially at 250 lbs. That's a total of 80 lbs. lost in about 4 months. My BP dropped from 160/90 to 125/78. We are awaiting blood tests for my Cholesterol. I am also having a complete CBC panel with tests for Thyroid (including Free T3 and T4), Vitamin D, and several others. I want to see exactly where my body is at now. When my doctor entered the room he was floored. I went over all the things I've changed about my diet and lifestyle including exercise, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, meal shakes, etc. He looked over everything and said "Why can't all my patients take it upon themselves to do this? I beg and plead." I am now officially off my blood pressure medication and Cholesterol medication (statins...poison!!!). THIS WAS HUGE. I'm now in a 42 waist and that's loosening up on me...I'll be in a size 40 in about a week (from a size 52). I haven't worn a size 40 in probably a decade. I've started a pile of jeans and pants in my bedroom that no longer fit and it's about 3/4 of the way up my leg. I can't wear half the clothes in my closet any longer. I am now starting to wear XL shirts instead of XXL. My girlfriend...who was at first skeptical of my resolve...now calls me "the incredible shrinking man." Speaking of the g/f...she's got me on several nutirtional supplements and watches carefully what I eat to make sure I don't veer off course. We go hiking usually once a week, and she packs fresh fruit and veggies for us to fuel up on when we're done. She also has me drinking about 2 gallons of water per day. My goal is 180 lbs before the holidays. Total of 150 lbs lost. And I'm going to make it. I should also add that this is probably NOT the "recommended", "suggested" or "advisable" method of rapid weight loss. However, I considered my options carefully and realized that 5 lbs per month just wasn't going to cut it. When you're over 300 lbs, 5 lbs per month means you'll spend months and months at a weight where you're obese or, in my case, morbidly obese. I felt it was imperative to remove the strain from my heart, lungs, muscles and joints by losing the weight as quickly as possible, while at the same time hoping the repercussions of such weight loss would be minimal. But I feel great, and look even better. I will include a few pics in a few days. They won't be shirtless...I don't even like to look at myself shirtless...but you'll definitely see a difference!
I dont feel ignored. 20 pounds a month is awesome, great work! Thats 70,000 calories/month or 2300/day below your BMR+Activity, quite a feat!! 80 pounds of fat is 280,000 calories you have not eaten. Hard to imagine. Maybe if you look at it as 1500 doughnuts its not a staggering Keep us updated your story might inspire someone else. ...and most importantly keep-it-up!
The quote was from this thread in January. Did my first 10km race for the year this morning - the middle of our winter. It was the state championships so the distance will be accurate. Last year I ran one 10km race and that was the first one for 20+ years. An achilles injury - from overtraining?, very common in older athletes I've learned - has cost me some training and is an ongoing problem for me. I've basically been doing reduced endurance training and I'm yet to get into the speed work. Last year's time with not too much running in my legs was 47 minutes plus. Today was 41:06. I feel I couldn't go much faster at the moment. Maybe half a minute on a good day. I'm thinking once I do a bit of speed work I've a really good shot at sub 40 minutes in the coming months. One of the local guys who I run with sometimes was a minute ahead of me, and he is 65 years old! He usually goes sub 40 minutes. The winner today was over 10 minutes faster than me. A young guy, obviously. It was a good morning; I'm enjoying the running. Hope you're all going well with your goals. regards
Congratulations! I passed my benching goals and need to add 10 more lbs muscle overall and I'm there! 8 months to go... and BAM I'm 40 and in the best shape of my life!
Met up with that guy on Wednesday. He'd done the Sunday run as just another daily run & didn't taper for the event. He runs every day. The day prior he'd done 20 miles / 32 km running in the hills near Perth. He is in enviable form for his age: probably the top distance runner in his age group nationally. Inspiring
I'll be 56 in September and just squatted 429 X 3, 440 X 3, Bench 231 X 5 X 2, Deadlift 385 X 5, 429 X 5. The DL is my best ever with the squat and bench in front.
