Fitness Challenge for 2011

We have posted on and off about this for a little while now. It normally comes up around the New Year. So I figured I'd get it going again.

My fitness goal for 2011 is to shed about 15 lbs of fat putting me in the 7% body fat range before Spring 2011. Since 2008 I have lost over 110 lbs of fat, and this is the last phase of my overall plan. I've had a few set backs this year (work, deaths in the family, etc), so I am hoping to really push this to the end and achieve my final goal.

It's so much harder once you get to the low percentage of body fat ("excellent" zone) for your age group to really push beyond it into the so-called "athlete" zone unless you really have the time to dedicate to it.

As some of you already know I follow the Paleo Diet, which means except for controlled cheats (i.e. a special occassion like Thanksgiving where I have to eat some of my Wife's chocolate pie) all of my food is veggies/fruits, followed by lean meats and then by seeds/nuts. So my main challenge is really to find a way to cut calories in my meals without sending myself into a starvation binge because my main source of calories is also my protien...

My exercise plan is three days of structured weight lifting, two days cardio (sprints one, walking the second) and then a 6th day of Olympic Lifting (lighter weight, higher intenisty). Sat - Mon (weight training), Tues (sprints), Wed (Olympic Lifts), Thurs (walking), Fri (off).

And I have been having great success with that since about July of this year, so I will be sticking with it.

So what are your fitness goals for the New Year? And how are you going about accomplishing them?

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Comments

Mike-Mike

I'm pretty thin, I'm 6'1 and I hover in the 180 to 186 lbs. range... I overeat way too much, I should cut back on that... I gave up on weights a year or so back and have never regretted it, I just do cardio, and pushups/pullups and ab work

Priston

My fitness goal is to gain 5-10 pounds of muscle

I'm 6'1 and weight between 145 and 150

RobertKaucher

Priston wrote: »

My fitness goal is to gain 5-10 pounds of muscle

I'm 6'1 and weight between 145 and 150

What's your strategy? 5-10 lbs of lean mass is a lot. That will really be a big change in size and strength for you!

wd40

RobertKaucher wrote: »

What's your strategy? 5-10 lbs of lean mass is a lot. That will really be a big change in size and strength for you!

I disagree.

I'm 5'2 .. some years back my weight was 84 lbs, then I joined the gym and gained 18 lbs of Muscle in two months! "I had quite a margin for improvement

, and I do not have an ounce of FAT", Yup, I gained more than 20% of my body weight in 2 months, without using steroids.

Yes I was bigger but not much bigger, I was able to "see" every single muscle group!

so, I don't think 5-10 lbs for a 6'1 145 lbs guy will be a big difference.

anyways, then came school + marriage, now it is too expensive and time consuming that I can not do it any more.

Mojo_666

Robert that is epic progress.

I have shed 15kg since June through diet (I now weigh 100kg and am 1kg from no longer being clincily obese) \o/

I also quit smoking in September, since I quit smoking I have started running and can now run 1.5 miles without stopping and do so every other day, my goal is to be able to run 3-4 miles in one go by Xmass and get under 90Kg.

RobertKaucher

wd40 wrote: »

I disagree.

I'm 5'2 .. some years back my weight was 84 lbs, then I joined the gym and gained 18 lbs of Muscle in two months!

Dude, have you ever held 10 lbs of lean hamburger in your hands? It is a large amount of flesh. Just because you gained more does not make that less.

I would also point to the fact that an initial gain like that is relatively common for younger folk but is unsustainable without the use of anabolics from year to year. If you follow natural bodybuilding at all you will know that those who get tested for steroids in their sport almost never gain more than 5 lbs of lean mass in a year. If they gain more than that it is accompanied by an increase in % body fat, which means diet and catabolism and probable loss of any extra muscle gained over that mark.

If he has been active for anything over a year, 10 lbs would make a big difference.

wd40

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Dude, have you ever held 10 lbs of lean hamburger in your hands? It is a large amount of flesh. Just because you gained more does not make that less.

I would also point to the fact that an initial gain like that is relatively common for younger folk but is unsustainable without the use of anabolics from year to year. If you follow natural bodybuilding at all you will know that those who get tested for steroids in their sport almost never gain more than 5 lbs of lean mass in a year. If they gain more than that it is accompanied by an increase in % body fat, which means diet and catabolism and probable loss of any extra muscle gained over that mark.

If he has been active for anything over a year, 10 lbs would make a big difference.

I agree with some of the points, after the two months my weight stopped increasing

.. I was still underweight but I felt good, very good

RobertKaucher

Mojo_666 wrote: »

Robert that is epic progress.

I have shed 15kg since June through diet (I now weigh 100kg and am 1kg from no longer being clincily obese) \o/

I also quit smoking in September, since I quit smoking I have started running and can now run 1.5 miles without stopping and do so every other day, my goal is to be able to run 3-4 miles in one go by Xmass and get under 90Kg.

Not too bad yourself!
Keep it up!

RobertKaucher

wd40 wrote: »

I agree with some of the points, after the two months my weight stopped increasing .. I was still underweight but I felt good, very good

Now you're just rubbing it in! Gimme' a break!

Devilsbane

RobertKaucher wrote: »

We have posted on and off about this for a little while now. It normally comes up around the New Year. So I figured I'd get it going again.

My fitness goal for 2011 is to shed about 15 lbs of fat putting me in the 7% body fat range before Spring 2011. Since 2008 I have lost over 110 lbs of fat, and this is the last phase of my overall plan. I've had a few set backs this year (work, deaths in the family, etc), so I am hoping to really push this to the end and achieve my final goal.

That is quite the achievement. Back in the day I was at 9.something %. A couple months ago I saw the scale hit the 190's and I refused to hit 200 so I've started working again and I got it back down to the low 170's. I'd like to be in the 150 range if I can get there.

It really hasn't been too difficult so far, I still eat mostly what I want and just work on the portion control. That and I've started running a couple miles every other day.

Good luck to you!

UnixGuy

Excellent job !!! wish I could do the same ! I'll Google your diet....

I go to gym 3-6 days, depending on how busy I am...I do weigh lifting, and I'm lazy when it comes to cardio...

Do you take any supplements ? protein shakes or amino acid or multi-vitamin ???

Workout is exhausting me sometimes, I don't take any supplements..

RobertKaucher wrote: »

We have posted on and off about this for a little while now. It normally comes up around the New Year. So I figured I'd get it going again.

My fitness goal for 2011 is to shed about 15 lbs of fat putting me in the 7% body fat range before Spring 2011. Since 2008 I have lost over 110 lbs of fat, and this is the last phase of my overall plan. I've had a few set backs this year (work, deaths in the family, etc), so I am hoping to really push this to the end and achieve my final goal.

It's so much harder once you get to the low percentage of body fat ("excellent" zone) for your age group to really push beyond it into the so-called "athlete" zone unless you really have the time to dedicate to it.

As some of you already know I follow the Paleo Diet, which means except for controlled cheats (i.e. a special occassion like Thanksgiving where I have to eat some of my Wife's chocolate pie) all of my food is veggies/fruits, followed by lean meats and then by seeds/nuts. So my main challenge is really to find a way to cut calories in my meals without sending myself into a starvation binge because my main source of calories is also my protien...

My exercise plan is three days of structured weight lifting, two days cardio (sprints one, walking the second) and then a 6th day of Olympic Lifting (lighter weight, higher intenisty). Sat - Mon (weight training), Tues (sprints), Wed (Olympic Lifts), Thurs (walking), Fri (off).

And I have been having great success with that since about July of this year, so I will be sticking with it.

So what are your fitness goals for the New Year? And how are you going about accomplishing them?

eMeS

RobertKaucher wrote: »

WSince 2008 I have lost over 110 lbs of fat...

That's amazing...how about some before and after pics? You must look totally different.

One of the things that I've found keeps me on track is participating in this:

The President's Challenge

It's kind of cheesy and grade-schoolish, but you get cool medals whenever you accomplish something!

MS

brad-

Im down 75lbs since Jan 2. Was down 80 but i just gained 5 back this past month...i got off the wagon.

I need to lose 25 more lbs and I'll be happy to maintain that with minimal cardio and the majority of my exercise coming from weights.

I started calorie counting and exercising 5-6 days a week. I rarely miss a day, its just part of my life now.

*oh, grats robert. that's quite an accomplishment to take your life back like that.

Bl8ckr0uter

I want to drop about 75lbs next year. I am actually starting a raw food fast on Dec 1.

msteinhilber

I've been on and off with the P90X program as my schedule allows (and as my own mind will allow me to). I've been getting better about fitting in the time but could still improve some. As far as any sort of exercise routine goes for me, I really have to feel like I'm busting my rear during the activity as well as the day after or I don't feel like I'm really doing anything and find it easy to stop. Because of that, something like P90X or similar where you're working pretty rigorous suits me the best. I just need to focus harder on keeping up with the routines now, instead of this week on week or two off business that I have been doing lately.

Even when on a more regular routine, one of my pitfalls up until about 6 months ago was working out but not eating as well as I could. Financial changes pretty much called for an abrupt change in habits of eating out for lunch, picking up breakfast in the morning, and falling into the trap of ordering out dinner because I considered myself far too busy with studying or work projects to invest time cooking. The financial change forced me into a position where I had to prepare my own meals and snacks as much as possible, and as a result I've been obviously avoiding the fairly unhealthy fast food or other restaurants which is great in itself but I've also found it very easy to invest the time to plan out meals a bit more and actually follow some of the recipes in the P90X kit and other healthy eating cookbooks I've got since I'm putting the time into prepping the food anyways. Has been pretty good so far, I let myself go a bit the later part of 2009 and through the first half of this year. Was at 247lbs 6 months ago when I first really started to cut out the bad foods and just topped off at 220.4lbs on the scale last night. Going to keep on working at it, I've done a lot of good to my upper and lower body strength and it has had a visible impact but the abdomen has been where my fat always hits and that's starting to disappear too. Another 6 months of this and I may find myself where I'd like to be.

PhildoBaggins

I spent half of 2010 recovering from power lifting injuries...compressed bones in my hand and wrist, pulled groin, tore a small amount of my left delt. I would love to do this, i have gone from fat-buff to just fat in the past 6 months.

In march 2010 my stats were...

6'4 322lbs 27years old
425lb bench press
1640lb leg press
720lb dead lift
365lb incline press for 4 reps
450lb squats for reps

now i'm wimpy again lol...Once I start a new job I will be on the fat loss trail and maybe start some lifting again

Priston

RobertKaucher wrote: »

What's your strategy? 5-10 lbs of lean mass is a lot. That will really be a big change in size and strength for you!

i'm 22 now, and about 3-4 years ago I was around 130-135 lbs, no change in height over those years. Yea, 10 lbs for 1 year is definitly unrealistic, but i'm sure if I ate more food I could do 5 lbs.

Maybe I should have originally said My fitness goal is to gain 5-10 pounds without increasing my body fat percentage.

Bl8ckr0uter

PhildoBaggins wrote: »

In march 2010 my stats were...

6'4 322lbs 27years old
425lb bench press
1640lb leg press
720lb dead lift
365lb incline press for 4 reps
450lb squats for reps

Dude.... I just want to be able to bench 300lbs

myedjo24

RobertKaucher wrote: »

So my main challenge is really to find a way to cut calories in my meals without sending myself into a starvation binge because my main source of calories is also my protien...

I would take a thermogenic like Oxyelite Pro by USP Labs. It's the only one that I've ever seen results with. Also, you are only supposed to take it for 2 months then cycle off for a month and during the cycle I take Recreate also by USP Labs. I sound like a USP Labs rep, but USP Labs products are the best on the market in my opinion.

RobertKaucher

UnixGuy wrote: »

Do you take any supplements ? protein shakes or amino acid or multi-vitamin ???

Workout is exhausting me sometimes, I don't take any supplements..

Whey and creatine are staples along with a good multi-vitamin. Those are the basics. Pre- and post workout nutrition is super important. It amazes me the difference I see in a heavy workout when I time the feedings right. Something just as simple as a serving of whey protein, BCAAs, and an apple has a big impact.

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

I want to drop about 75lbs next year. I am actually starting a raw food fast on Dec 1.

The volume of food you will need to ingest to not go nuts and binge is going to be insane!

myedjo24 wrote: »

I would take a thermogenic like Oxyelite Pro by USP Labs. It's the only one that I've ever seen results with...

Thanks for the advice. I'll check them out.

RobertKaucher

Priston wrote: »

Maybe I should have originally said My fitness goal is to gain 5-10 pounds without increasing my body fat percentage.

I knew what you meant. 10 lbs isn't impossible.

RobertKaucher

eMeS wrote: »

That's amazing...how about some before and after pics? You must look totally different.

One of the things that I've found keeps me on track is participating in this:

The President's Challenge

It's kind of cheesy and grade-schoolish, but you get cool medals whenever you accomplish something!

MS

Here you go. In the "before" I had already lost close to 10 lbs by giving up sugary drinks. Had not officially started any diet. The after is about 2 months ago, so I have lost a few more lbs since then. You can see more definition in my stomach, chest and shoulders now. I was about 285 in the before. You can't see my legs, but my hipps were nearly as wide as my shoulders! I'm down from a 46 to a 34 in pants.

fat-fit.jpg

Bl8ckr0uter

RobertKaucher wrote: »

The volume of food you will need to ingest to not go nuts and binge is going to be insane!

Yep

Dude you lost weight ( I mean since I saw you). Very inspiring!

UnixGuy

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Whey and creatine are staples along with a good multi-vitamin. Those are the basics. Pre- and post workout nutrition is super important. It amazes me the difference I see in a heavy workout when I time the feedings right. Something just as simple as a serving of whey protein, BCAAs, and an apple has a big impact.

yes I tried some of these before and they have magical impact, but aren't you afraid of any potential side effects ? some people these things have serious side effects on the kindey..

PhildoBaggins

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

Dude.... I just want to be able to bench 300lbs

I was maxing about 275 mid 2009. I was over benching, and generally lifting like I had been since high school.

I slowed down, worked on my techniques for all major compound lifts. 6 months later I had put on 30lbs of muscle and was nearly twice as strong, of course I have a massive base to start with (6'4 300+) but nothing feels better in the gym then bending bars.

As soon as I'm out of this "getting laid off and into a new role" period i'm going to start heavy training again...I would like to hit 500 on bench and over 800 on dead...I would be really happy with that.

Bl8ckr0uter

PhildoBaggins wrote: »

I was maxing about 275 mid 2009. I was over benching, and generally lifting like I had been since high school.

I slowed down, worked on my techniques for all major compound lifts. 6 months later I had put on 30lbs of muscle and was nearly twice as strong, of course I have a massive base to start with (6'4 300+) but nothing feels better in the gym then bending bars.

As soon as I'm out of this "getting laid off and into a new role" period i'm going to start heavy training again...I would like to hit 500 on bench and over 800 on dead...I would be really happy with that.

I'm like 5'7. The max I have ever been able to bench was like 275. I'd like to get to the 350-400 range but mostly I just want to look hott in a speedo lol.

Seriously though. How long did it take you to get to 3 stacks?

rogue2shadow

My upper body has always been strong and toned but its the damn stomach that always gets me. Back in 06' I was pretty jacked at about 190 and my stomach was where I wanted it but I slowly gained to 220 over the course of the years (I'm 6'0). I'm back on my old routine and I aim to lose about 20 pounds by at least March of next year. I've lost about 6 pounds over the course of the last 2-4 weeks. The major thing I need to focus on is planning out meals and getting regular cardio in.

PhildoBaggins

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

I'm like 5'7. The max I have ever been able to bench was like 275. I'd like to get to the 350-400 range but mostly I just want to look hott in a speedo lol.

Seriously though. How long did it take you to get to 3 stacks?

I don't even know. I was benching over 315 in high school (10-12 years ago) and I get into in every year or so then I get out for a while. I have broken so many bones, torn a lot of muscles, pulled alot of tendons but I would say if you hitting 275 you could train up to 350 in 4-6 months if you really hit it.

My work outs were around 70 sets and 1.5-2 hours straight, then I rested each major group for a week.

I combined 1 heavy set (120lb dumbells on DB press on 1 set vs 25lb DB for 50 reps)

One big thing that helped me on bench was building my grip strength by playing chicken on dead lift (holding weight static in full lockout for as long as until I felt I might die) and building up my lats/back through mega heavy rack pulls.

When maxing properly you should be putting alllllll of your weight on what feels like the back of your neck and traps. You back should be arched but your ass needs to be planted....bring you feet back toward you as far as they can go then back them off 6 inches. You should be feel a little stretched...this is good. The more taught your body and the stiffer your hips and stomach the more stability and spring you have on bench.

I would de-rack, hold for 5 and stabilize. I prefer the widest grip possible, I tense my abs and I flex my lats and legs while lowering the weight. I bring the bar slowly down to the nipple line and I pause for at least 1 full second. (If you cannot get to this point of pausing during your max you can train this on a smith press and over press by setting the stops a few inches from your chest. this allows you to bench more that you actually can and trains up your pecs and tris).

When pressing the bar from your chest squeeze you hands as hard as you can. Some people try to squeeze outward, some squeeze inward..I prefer out. Flex and engage your lats. All the while you need to push as hard as you can with your tippy toes and create leverage with your quads and back. The hardest part is getting the initial movement on that weight.

If you hear any loud noises its probably just a little poo, don't worry about this it happens.

Some people are probably wondering...wait what about breathing techniques.... and you right.

Breath in this order.

De-rack (taking the weight off the stands) BREATH OUT
Lowering: Slowly breath in
Pause: Hold Breath
Press: On your initial assault on the weight to get it to move breath out fast. When the weight starts moving start breathing in and out.

There are a ton of good videos on a proper bench technique.

gorebrush

Massive congratulations to Robert, losing so much weight! That is awesome and you sir, have inspired me.

I currently weigh something like 275 lbs and I'm 5'6".

I am really overweight. Although I once lost 56lbs in a few months (though this was 3 years ago) I'm pretty much back at that weight now. I do go to the gym at the moment and have cut down a lot, but I need to go more. I do mainly cardio, but only very low impact - walking (but at a gradient) etc and some swimming,.

So, a weight loss challenge for 2011 sounds good to me, and I'm in.

I want to shed 100lbs really, I need to be around 150-160lbs.

That will be my goal for the next 12 months

I'm getting married next week, and the two of us really need to shed some. We want children and so on, and I don't particular want to be a "fat dad" so to speak.

Mojo_666

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Here you go. In the "before" I had already lost close to 10 lbs by giving up sugary drinks. Had not officially started any diet. The after is about 2 months ago, so I have lost a few more lbs since then. You can see more definition in my stomach, chest and shoulders now. I was about 285 in the before. You can't see my legs, but my hipps were nearly as wide as my shoulders! I'm down from a 46 to a 34 in pants.

Photoshop ftw

[FONT=&quot]Seriously that is an amazing change, you look quite literally half the man you used to be and a buff one at that, what is the reaction like from people who knew that chubby you? Have you had anyone walk right past you or anything like that?
[/FONT]