Fels73 Fitness Journal.... Here goes nothing....

Fels73 · Tue, May 17th, 2005, 11:50 PM

Thought it was time to "put myself out there"...

Fels73 · Wed, May 18th, 2005, 12:10 AM

Here's my story....

I'm 31 years old. I can honestly say that I've never been in good shape. Tried working out in the past, but always half-assed attempts. I was never truly motivated to get in shape. All of a sudden some switch flipped somewhere in the back of my head. I decided that it was time to make some changes.

I always thought I could just get liposuction to get rid of the areas, or even diet my way to a decent size. I'm 5'11 and currently in 178 lbs. I was up to 205 or so for the past four years. Prior to that, I was always in the low 170s. Respectable weight I thought... I always felt that being around 170 was ideal; that didn't mean I was in shape, it just meant I was skinnier.

Around January, I got sick of being over 200. I didn't think I looked bad, but apparently I was a little "beefy". That's what someone told me when I started to drop weight. I went on the old crash diet. I think I at somewhere around 600 calories a day for a good two months. Bad, bad, me. I did drop a good 20 pounds. Traded in the old size 36s (which fit snugly) to size 34s. That was a good thing. But it really didn't address the issue of fatness.

I can't ever remember a time I would willingly take my shirt off in public. Not even when I was a kid, teenager, college student, etc... I started to wonder if it would be possible to get to the point where I would be able to take my shirt off (proudly). So I decided that I would give exercise a shot.

I had never done much at the gym. Cardio, yes, but lifting, no. I knew that I wouldn't get into a lifting regimen on my own, instead, I dipped into my extra spending money (that I didn't know I had) and got myself a personal trainer. I have friends that told me it would be a waste of money, but I went through with it. Started with my trainer April 1, 2005.

Here I sit six weeks later (give or take a few days). I ran across this (awesome) website a few weeks ago.... I've been reading posts, checking out picture, and getting lots of tips. It's great. I saw that this place these people were truly supportive of each other. That's the most important part of making changes. Having the support of others...

I've decided to post a couple pics. They are only front views. One from the day I started (185lbs) and one from 30 minutes ago (179 lbs). Remember, they are from a guy who wouldn't ever take his shirt off in public.... Let me know what you think.

Oh.
When my trainer did my BF April 1, it was around 22%. It was measured with a thing you held onto and gave a digital read.

Fels73 · Wed, May 18th, 2005, 02:08 AM

FYI

I lift M W F
Do cardio 5x per week, usually HIIT

Daan · Wed, May 18th, 2005, 04:39 AM

Good luck with your cutting period.

isn’t it expansive to hire a personal trainer? I just train with some friends or just alone...

Fels73 · Wed, May 18th, 2005, 10:44 AM

Yeah, it's kind of spendy. I buy 12 hour-long sessions for about 400 bucks. Not really bad. A couple other gyms in town charge 600 dollars for 10 sessions. More of a deal at my gym.... It's worth the money though. I don't have any friends that do the whole lifting thing, so I'm on my own.

Fels73 · Wed, May 18th, 2005, 03:59 PM

Well, after a nerve-wracking wait, I finally did my second BF% check.

April 01, 2005 BF% 21.8

May 18, 2005 BF% 18.3

I dropped 3.5%, holy s#@!! I'm feeling awesome- extremely motivated now. I kind of figured I would be in the 18% range, but still had my worries...

No worries now. I just gotta keep it up. I did lose 6 pounds as well. Crazy. Lost about 7 pounds of fat, gained about 2 pounds of muscle (can't recall the exact figures).

Fels73 · Thu, May 19th, 2005, 03:09 PM

Gonna be doing my cardio/ab workout today. I look forward to cardio- very addictive... i'm really hoping that i'll see another 3.5% drop in my BF in another six weeks. I'm thinking about getting the fitday software to tweak my diet even more....

anyone use fitday? other postings seem to be positive in regards to fitday...

Fels73 · Thu, May 19th, 2005, 08:31 PM

just got back from my cardio. did the whole HIIT routine. man... that was work, but I loved it.

also did ab work. love doing abs.... looking forward to the day i can see them more clearly...

feel free to post any responses/suggestions....

fels....

Fels73 · Fri, May 20th, 2005, 11:41 AM

I have been doing high intensity cardio workouts for the past six weeks. Not necessarily HIIT- but been keeping my heart rate in the 165-170 range for 30 minutes or more.

Yesterday I did the HIIT method for approximately 25 minutes- 3 minute warm-up... 30 second intervals sprint/fast walk for 20 minutes- and a 2 minute cool-down.

It whooped my ass doing the hardcore, all-out sprints. I don't think I have huffed and puffed that much during my traditional high-intensity cardio. It felt great though. I love knowing that I'm working my ass off.

I'm going to keep up with the HIIT method for the next six weeks- I want to see if it really does burn fat faster. I do my cardio after work- would love to do cardio in the morning, but not a morning person at all.

Can't wait to see how effective HIIT is....

Fels73 · Sun, May 22nd, 2005, 11:28 PM

i did a yoga class yesterday... then one of my friends asked me to do a step class with her.... that was hilarious.... i looked like a guy from riverdance.... every time i tried to use my arms.... i lost where i should be steppingl....

laugh a minute....

also did HIIT for 15 minutes after the classes...

my calves hurt all day today.... guess the step class did something....

Fels73 · Mon, May 23rd, 2005, 11:12 AM

Calves still hurt today. Woke up last night a few times when I moved my legs... i'm a light sleeper these days....

I did get up this morning to start the old morning HIIT cardio training. I want to give it a try for the next two weeks to see if I can make it a habit....

working out with the trainer today at lunch...

Fels73 · Tue, May 24th, 2005, 11:01 AM

Got up this morning to do my HIIT routine... I never really choose the treadmill (bad back and I tend to stomp run), but the ellipticals I usually choose were full (which never happens).... so on the treadmill I ran. I pretty much alternated between sprints at 8.6 mph and walking at 3.8 mph.... i did two minutes on/two off for the majority of the time.... the last 2 minute sprint i did was killer... worn out... felt good though.

i usually reserve the treadmill for saturdays when I do a steady jog for eleven+ minutes. this is after twenty minutes of cardio on the elliptical....

Fels73 · Wed, May 25th, 2005, 11:47 AM

no cardio this morning... taking this day off ... but will be lifting at lunch. cardio again tomorrow. wanted to give my legs a break. my calves are still a little sore from saturday. i guess that step class was much more work than i thought.

dreadsword · Thu, May 26th, 2005, 12:56 AM

Hey Fels - I just drove through a good chunk of Minnesota this past weekend, on my way to and from visiting friends in madison, WI. Stopped in Duluth on the way back and had a crazy $5 milkshake - tasty. After eating crap and driving for hours I decided to take the plunge and start here too. Anyway - our starting points aren't that far off, and I hope that I have the same great results you have. Congratulations, and keep it up!

Fels73 · Thu, May 26th, 2005, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreadsword

Hey Fels - I just drove through a good chunk of Minnesota this past weekend, on my way to and from visiting friends in madison, WI. Stopped in Duluth on the way back and had a crazy $5 milkshake - tasty. After eating crap and driving for hours I decided to take the plunge and start here too. Anyway - our starting points aren't that far off, and I hope that I have the same great results you have. Congratulations, and keep it up!

Thanks man... hope your ride was scenic enough... Duluth is a great area.

Fels73 · Thu, May 26th, 2005, 01:31 PM

Got up early again (third day now) to get to the gym for the HIIT cardio. I'm really enjoying it so far. It is really nice to get done with work at 6 without having to go to the gym after. When I do the evening cardio I don't get home until after 7:30, so it feels like my night is really, really short. Now I have hours and hours.

I did a 2 minute warm-up (elliptical machine) and alternating one minute sprints/with 30 second walks minutes 2-15; then i switched to one minute sprint/one minute walk from 15-21, plus a four minute cool-down (21-25). I guess i did 12 full minutes of hard-core sprints out of the 25 total minutes on the machine....

woo hoo! felt good. I really like the HIIT, so I hope to see some results in a few weeks.

Fels73 · Fri, May 27th, 2005, 11:53 PM

Got up this morning (at the gym at 7:20 am) and did the HIIT cardio on the elliptical machine again. The level was set at 10 (out of 20), the course was set at interval (which affected the incline).

This time i did:

2 minutes warm-up

3 minute sprint/one walk
2 minute sprint/one walk
1 minute sprint/one walk
30 second sprint/ 30 second rest

3 minute sprint/one walk
2 minute sprint/one walk
1 minute sprint/one walk
30 second sprint/ 30 second rest

3 minutes cool-down

Total time sprinting: 13 minutes
Total walking time plus warm-up/cool down: 12 minutes

Felt good. The three minutes was kind of killer, but I'm amazed that I was able to do it. It is nice to switch up the sprints. Makes the time fly by when you stare at the clock waiting for that one minute walk time to arrive.

I also did my lifting at 2:30. I usually go at 12:45, but was really busy at work and my trainer was not able to be there today. My boss told me I could take the rest of the day off (yay!), which was nice.

I do a full body routine for lifting.

Also mowed the lawn today (which should count for something).

Cheat meal tonite- bacon cheeseburger and chicken nuggets. I reasoned that getting the chicken nuggets instead of fries gave me more protein to combat the carbs in the breading. Warped reasoning, but I won't sweat it too much....

Now doing laundry. It's amazing how many clothes you go through, especially when I'm doing cardio in the morning, working, and lifting at lunch. Need more socks.

Fels73 · Sun, May 29th, 2005, 08:19 PM

took an aerobics kick-boxing class yesterday morning. it wasn't bad- actually got my heartrate up higher than the step class i took last saturday. unfortunately, i am totally uncoordinated. if they were kicking left, i was kicking right... you get the picture....

Fels73 · Sun, May 29th, 2005, 08:28 PM

to continue from my previous post....

one of my co-workers was at the class with me- another was actually leading the class... the one who was taking the class with me told me that she couldn't look at me during the class, because she would start laughing. I was the only guy in the class- kind of stuck out. no one else laughed (that I know 0f).

so I went to the mall later that day. i work part-time in retail, sundays usually. i have friends at Express- so I was telling them about my aerobics class, and how uncoordinated I am.

I decided to demonstrate the only move I could actually get right. It's called the grapevine. you are basically walking sideways and your legs cross over as you are stepping. well.... i took two steps sideways when my left flip-flop caught on the floor causing me to stumble. Instead of falling, I grabbed onto the nearest rack on my right.

It was a rolling t-stand...

I know I should have just fallen then, but I tried not to. I ended up stumbling, holding onto the t-stand which was rolling. finally stopped when I crashed into the giant post that got in my way.

I never really fell... but created a giant ruckus. of course everyone in the store saw me do this. the girl at the counter couldn't even look at me, because she was laughing so hard she cried. My friends also found it hilarious.

I did dust myself off and try to act like nothing happened.

In the process of doing all this, I wrenched my lower back... Groovy, huh?

Still very achy today. Hoping to be better tomorrow for my Memorial Day lifting & cardio.

Nice, D!

Fels73 · Mon, May 30th, 2005, 01:16 AM

Ordered pizza with friends tonite... it was sooooooooooo good. of course I feel somewhat guilty, but I never go all out for my cheat meals. Ate more than my fair share. Will work extra hard in the mornng.

The gym is only open from 8-1 tomorrow. Sleepin in for sure. Gym around 11?....