Lazy bum or wily genius?

If I told you that, in the last two weeks, I've worked out for a total of maybe 3 hours, you may ask why I'm slacking off. Perhaps you'd think I am nursing and injury or just haven't had time to hit the gym the way I used to. Or, maybe you'd just think I've gotten lazy...again.

But, what would you say if I told you that, in the last two weeks, I've hit PRs (personal records) on chin-ups (9), pull-ups (4), dips (12), deadlifts (115x5), bench press (95 x 4) ...lost 8 pounds AND ~2% body fat? Would you still think I'm being a bum?

OR, is it possible that you just may come to the conclusion that I am a wily fitness genius. :)

I wish I could take credit for it all but, alas, I cannot. I have Martin Berkhan's Leangains to thank for each deliciously heavy rep and every bit of body fat that is melting from my body. I can, however, take all of the credit for having the discipline to stay at a daily calorie deficit and fast for my total 16 hours each day - 9 p.m. - 1 p.m.

I'm working out less often than I ever have and I am getting stronger each day. I'm sure much of that is the shock of hitting my body with heavier weights than I have ever lifted combined with the fact that, in the shape I was in, I had nowhere to go but up. Whatever the reason, I don't care. Results are results

The 16/8 IF is a piece of cake to stick to. I never feel cheated. I enjoy wine or a beer when I want it (drinking some now whilst cooking my famous meatballs for dinner). I eat all of the foods I love. (NOTE: I have always loved lots of meat and veggies, so this has been easy for me). And what's best is that I'm losing body fat while gaining lean muscle AT THE SAME TIME.

When I get leaner and you can see the difference for yourselves, I will post before and after pics for those of you who doubt my approach. Stay tuned and keep moving!

Comments

Lift Like a Girl - You just might like it

After I sent Martin ( Leangains.com ) my chinup vids so he can post them, he asked me about my routine so he could offer some background to the videos. He felt it may help give some direction to other IFing women out there; and I hope it does. I think he's going to post this sometime soon as well, but I wanted to archive it on my own blog. I created this routine from bits and pieces found scattered like confetti across his blog. I know everyone is slightly different and has different goals, so this routine may not be for you. I also know that, after two months of this, I'm stronger than ever before, but will likely have to find a way to shake things up a bit to keep things moving...but I'm not sure how to proceed. In case you rush through the routine without reading the fine print, I generally rest from 3 to 5 minutes between every set. Since I'm only doing 2-3 types of exercises at 3-4 sets each, I'm in and out of the gym in under an hour. Oh, and I only workout 3 ...

Finally - Progress Pics

Recently I've been struggling with my motivation. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. My workouts stalled (poor diet, lack of discipline and no sleep). Then, today, I hopped on the scale to a solid 116.0 lbs (was literally 117.8 yesterday at the same time). I think the two pints of Guinness I had to celebrate St. Patty's with my girlfriend and the bar appetizers I shouldn't have eaten may have given me the "Whoosh" that Martin Berkhan speaks of. "By the way, a nice bonus after a night of drinking is that it effectively rids you of water retention. You may experience the "whoosh" effect, which I've talked about in my two-part series about water retention. That in itself can be motivating for folks who've been experiencing a plateau in their weight loss." In any event, I'm pleased at my results so far and look forward to seeing how I will look in another two months - just in time for Memorial Day at the Jersey Shore. Here the...

The F-Word

Fresh fruit will not make you fat. I don't know about you, but my favorite part of any food store is the produce department. I love the rainbow of colors, shapes and sizes on display. The playful misting of the lettuces, the exotic vegetables I've never heard of from parts of the world I've only read about. I can't imagine anyone getting fat by eating a variety of any combination of the foods you find here. So why do people think fruit will make them fat? It's the F-Word - Fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide and one of three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Unlike glucose which can be immediately available to the muscles, however, fructose must first be processed in the liver, giving it the lowest glycemic index of all sugars. Naturally, fructose is fou nd in fruit, many plants and some vegetables, but not in very high concentrations....

Fitness Safari

Search This Blog