Fitness Safari

I logged in to add an update and saw that this is my 100th blog posting. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to take a look back at where I started back in January (top photo) and compare to where I am today, August 30, (2nd photo) - almost 9 months later. I have to say it's been a long road, and I have not yet reached my destination, but my progress since January is unmistakable. I've already learned a lot from my journey through IF and Leangains - patience, determination, the importance of setting goals (both big and small), and how much it helps to have a support network to help you when the road gets bumpy. So, thank you Martin Berkhan for Leangains and your continued encouragement and support to all of those people who are changing their lives by applying what you've learned; Thanks to Scott Black for your constant support, honesty and so many laughs; Thanks to my FFF ladies - you are hands down the BEST group on Facebook...

No time to write - got a plane to catch. Here are some pics from the beginning of Day 9 of my PSMF experiment. More to come...stay tuned!

Ok, I know it's not Wednesday - your traditional "hump day," but it is day 6 of my 12-day PSMF experiment. It's all downhill from here...I hope. I've made it 6 full days so far without a carb or fat fest. My weight is slowly creeping down as is my BF% according to my crappy Tanita. 113.6 lbs, 26.0% bodyfat. I still think that's off, and I know it has a lot to do with water retention, etc., but I am still carrying a lot of softness in my belly still, so it's probably, sadly, accurate or at least close. Anyway, as an aside from my boring protein-rich meals, I wanted to share with you all an email I received in response to my last blog. It's from a man named David. Now, David, if you are reading this, I hope you are not upset that I posted your email. I mean, if you are going to question the validity and necessity of what I'm doing and writing about in a public forum, I thought I would open the floor for debate starting with your letter. ...

It's Day 5 of Jenny's road to fat loss via the PSMF highway and I wanted to give you all an update on how I'm feeling and how the "diet" is working out. Day 4, yesterday, was a definite test of my mental fortitude. I was hungry most of the day - even shortly after eating 10 oz boneless pork, piles of fibrous veggies, and a 2-scoop casein shake. In the afternoon, I met a friend at the local fairgrounds where he was working a horse show. His company was one of the sponsors, so we got to hang in the VIP tent which, btw, was loaded with FOOD. Cheese, crackers, fruit, those giant cookie and brownie squares, pasta, sausage and peppers, and some kind of crabcake sliders...and I couldn't eat ANY of it. On our way out, I grabbed a teeny square of cheese which my dear friend, bless his sole, immediately wresteled from my hand and promptly threw away. It's so good to have support! For dinner I had chicken and broccoli and then went out to meet friends at the...

It's day 3 of my PSMF experiment and I don't feel any different than I have been feeling prior to beginning this diet. Hunger Level - moderate at wake up - as always! Abs Progress - tummy honestly feels tighter and more compact already...but that could just be wishful thinking. Took pics today and posted here - I'm going to try to take pics every few days and will also post all at once at the end of this to compare progress as time goes on. Training Report - Did chest and shoulders yesterday and was able to maintain on my max bench (100 lbs x 4 without a spotter); added reps with incline DB press (40 lbs each hand x 6); DB military fell in weight, but I think it's because I killed my shoulders with the incline DB press; and dips jumped bigtime to bodyweight +20 lbs x 7. *These are all first set numbers. I completed two sets of each and three of dips RPT style. I made my 170g protein for food intake yesterday thanks to a pound of boneless country style pork ribs and a pa...

Ok....This week I will use the very last page of Jenny's LG Training Log - Volume I. I started back in early January and my log outlines what started as a convoluted journey full of twists and turns as I experimented with different routines and pushed to find my limits and has since straightened out to a nice, consistent routine of compound movements and heavy weight, low volume sessions with a few supplementary exercises added in at different points to help round out my weaknesses. So, the other night, I was thumbing through the numbers to see just how far I've come. The first picture here was of my log about three weeks after I started fasting and was trying to settle into a routine. It was also the beginning of my deadlifts which were very low - not because I couldn't lift more, but because I wanted to ensure I didn't hurt myself while I was feeling out my limits. The second photo (right) was taken just the other day. You'll see that my deads went from 115 x ...

A friend of a friend reached out to me recently. She's frustrated and looking for a weight-loss approach that actually works and is sustainable - same as the rest of us. I started typing her response, but, what came out was a fairly detailed outline of what I've been doing and why it works. It's not super technical or scientific. If you want to read about the science behind the theories, go to www.leangains.com . Martin always does a thorough job of explaining things in fairly simple terms. What follows is more of how I would explain my lifestyle on Leangains to a friend. It is in no way complete and does not cover all aspects of IF, but I think it's a decent introduction to the average person who may be curious about what IF is and why the way we eat is primarily responsible for how we look. .................................................. No matter whether it's 10 lbs or 100 lbs, I see people every day killing themselves in the gym on treadmills and elliptical t...

It's been a few weeks since the Warrior Challenge and my strength has been steadily gaining. I'm nearly back to my PR of 205 x 3 for deads...about 5 lbs and another couple of weeks away and I'll bust through that plateau. Weighted pullups and chinups are increasing again as are weighted dips, bench and DB military press. I've also added stiff-legged deadlifts to my 20-rep breathing squat day and I feel good..I'll give a more specific accounting soon as I don't have my training log with me right now. The diet - going to a 2-day rest period interval in between workouts instead of just 1 day. So workouts will look like this: Day 1: Deads, weighted chins Day 4: flat bench, incline dumbbell press, seated dumbbell military press OR standing barbell push press; calves and dips if I have anything left. Day 7: breathing squats, stiff-legged deads, weighted pullups For macros, on rest days, I'm keeping carbs at 50g or less and eating the rest almost split be...