Getting fit with SwordsMaster

[SwordsMaster]

And so we're back!

Most of yesterday was spent running errands which pile up after almost a 2 month absence, but I managed to get in a half a mile run and a pull-up ladder (1 to 7, not impressive).

Have come to the decision I'm dropping drinking until christmas holidays because I need to save some cash, and I'm actually tired of most drinks. (It's been a tough 2 months!) Occasinal wine with a meal will be tolerated, but you all know what I mean by 'drinking'.

Been getting my diet straight today, and so the day so far looks like this:

Wake-up:
Roll off the bed, do a set of 51 pushups, then proceed with morning grooming, do a set of 35, shave, drink some water, turn on laptop, do another 40 (all max effort), shower, and start my day.

Breakfast:
spinach, cherry tomatoes, 150g of mixed beans, 1 egg+3 whites scramble, green tea, 100g of smoked salmon, double espresso.

Lunch:

300g of soya veggie meat, pasta, and 300g of banana/chocolate cake (I know, I know - the girlfriend made it, what was I supposed to do?)

Then:
half a mile jog, then 45 pullups in 9 sets with 60 sec breaks.

Dinner:
300g of chicken with tomatoes, coconut/peanut sauce, and another 200g of that cake i had for lunch. (it's finished now...)

More tomorrow!

Will update as day progresses

[Vladimir]

I really need to start doing pushups right after I get out of bed. I finally have the energy to do them after I've had my breakfast shake. Not the best combination.

That looks like an excellent breakfast.

[SwordsMaster]

Weird day today - woke up around 2 pm, had a 50g of whey+ berries shake, and my next meal was around 9pm - 300g of steak with kidney beans and a tomato, onion and garlic sauce.

Screwed up the low carb rule - woman was baking... Ah well.

Exercise:
5x max rep pull ups (total - 44) with 90s between sets
3x max rep pushups with 5-10 min break between sets.

An important consideration is i gave up drinking for a few weeks, feeling it already.

[Major Robert Dump]

I gotta change over to 5 small meals a day.

I am watching what I eat, I am spending 2.5 hours a day in the gym, and I am not losing any weight at all.

I realize my sleep and health issues do not help, but in the past I have had a system of being able to easily burn 20 pounds in a month with a drastic change of routine. Now, this is suddenly not working. I hate being old.

[SwordsMaster]

I gotta change over to 5 small meals a day.

I am watching what I eat, I am spending 2.5 hours a day in the gym, and I am not losing any weight at all.

I realize my sleep and health issues do not help, but in the past I have had a system of being able to easily burn 20 pounds in a month with a drastic change of routine. Now, this is suddenly not working. I hate being old.

A few points - and as an army man I'm sure you're aware of them (btw, like your PI adventures, reminds me of some old times in west africa).

It isn't necessarily up to 5 small meals, but a couple of rules of thumb:
1 - have a protein heavy breakfast EARLY. As in within an hour of waking up, even better if it's a half hour.
2 - have your last big meal of the day 3 hours before sleep. The only thing you can have between then and sleep if you must have something is easily digestible protein (cottage cheese, tuna, lean chicken, you know the drill)

A little bodybuilding pro-tip: Have 2 double espressos just after waking up, before breakfast or any morning exercise.

As to exercise - most here know i'm a proponent of full body workouts as opposed to isolated exercises (think pull-ups vs bicep curls), but no matter what the approach, if you want to lose weight it is key to keep rest intervals between exercises short. In the 10-30 sec range.

Also, and I'm not sure whether this is an option - invest in a kettlebell. There are few things which are such a sure burner as 50 pre-breakfast KB deadlifts.

To help you sleep: include some cholesterol in your last meal of the day. Fat helps you sleep, plus cholesterol is needed to synthetise testosterone (which helps with your muscle development) and that also happens during your sleep.

So make your last meal of the day porkchops or not-so-lean steak.

And yes, giving up drinking for 3 months will definitely help. But hey, all it took was some pretty eyes and berry pie and my diet cave in, so I ain't judging.

[naut]

1 - have a protein heavy breakfast EARLY. As in within an hour of waking up, even better if it's a half hour.

This is the biggest problem I have, not being able to get a meal in early. I get super gassy in the morning and anything too substantial makes me gag and occasionally puke.

A little bodybuilding pro-tip: Have 2 double espressos just after waking up, before breakfast or any morning exercise.

Yeah, why's that?

[SwordsMaster]

It doesn't need to be BIG, just high on protein. Think about 40g of protein (take into account that, for example, chicken is about 15% protein, so you'd need jus tunder 300g of chicken to fit the bill, egg whites, however are higher, so you'd only need the equivalent of 3-4 egg whites, much lower volume).

I had a similar problem - not because I can't eat in the morning, but because i maximise sleep time usually in the detriment of cooking time, but I now stock up on frozen berries and protein shake, and find that with a bit of oatmeal and skim milk, all blended together it makes a good breakfast that is not too heavy.

Coffee speeds up your metabolism, so by the time you're done with the morning pushups, shower, and are having breakfast your body is already at full speed to digest it. Have another coffee after breakfast to ensure it goes on for half an hour longer.