The Chairman's Fitness Challenge Blog

So, I gave in and had my "assessment" done by a personal trainer (PT) at my gym today. She was nice enough, went through the standard questionaire on goals, fitness habits, and medical history, then did a three-exercise "assessment" based on push-ups, body squats and the plank pos'n. Oh, and I weighed in about seven pounds higher on their scale (not too surprised) but it also measured my BF% at 27%, which I figure is at least 5% too low. Odd.

I have to wonder how valid the assessment was, given that I'd just busted a 1-hour fitness class and did an upper-body resistance training session before that. Honestly, I was pretty bored with the "plank" and pretty much just dropped after what I thought was a respectable time because of lack of interest. I'd probably be a fitness trainer's worst nightmare.

I got the lecture on RT cranking up the metabolism and how, if we did three sessions a week (at a cost of approximately $600/month based on my in-my-head calculations) I'd get great results. I don't doubt that, I've seen the trainers working around the gym and they seem to do some good stuff with certain clientele, who I've figured out to be either people just getting into the routine with limited knowledge, or advanced fitness buffs looking to get to the next level. Odd, though, that there was nothing in the way of specifics, no mention of how my workouts would change, or even of any nutritional component to the program. She was horrified, though, at the thought that I had a "program" I was following that in all actuality sounds identical to what she was describing - focused on large and core muscles, free weights, and 3-4 cardio sessions a week. I didn't have the heart to tell her it worked once before, and was based on Men's Health routines ripped out of a magazine (and not dissimilar to the HardBody plan published a few years ago).

With someone like me, a subject who has read voraciously on nutrition and exercise, with the short-term objective of maintaining muscle through a prolonged weight-loss phase, I'm not sure the value is there for more than a session or two to check form and solicit pointers once in a while. And given that I'm currently focused on studies/unemployed/looking for the next opportunity, the asking price is a little out of reach. I am considering it as an option for "the next phase", after I get out of the reduction mode 45 pounds from now and start focusing on building strength.

Got to the gym about noon today (Sunday) after taking the weekend off. I wanted to hit the spin class at 9:15am but making breakfast and doing various other stuff for my sick daughter came first.

It actually worked out great, though - I got a lower body session in, then hit the cardio for about 25 minutes of of hard interval work. I think this was the hardest intensity I've hit outside the classes, so the spin sessions seem to be paying off already! Tomorrow I hope to do upper body and spin for 45 minutes, to get all my numbers right to the pace they need to be at for the challenge.

I'm looking at my old copy of the "Hard-Body Fitness Plan" - it advocates a three-way split with one workout day dedicated to arms, one to chest/back/abs and one to legs. I'm still of the opinion that I'm hitting the arms sufficiently during my back/shoulder/chest work, so I'll probably stay the course for a while before considering that change.

Wow, the workout yesterday really hit my shoulders hard. I think that must be the weakest link right now in terms of upper body muscles. Pretty much every exercise I do on upper body day hits one of the three deltoids, naturally, and I was feeling all three of them yesterday and today. Actually, I am not upset about that at all - since I'm in full-fledged weight loss mode, one of my objectives is to do compound exercises that draw in the maximum number of muscles, rather than isolation moves. Feeling the shoulders during moves like the bench press or dumbbell row says to me that using free weights is hitting the stabilizing muscles more than some of the machines were before.

At this point in the challenge, I am "green" on CT's and CE's, as well as my personal goals. A "yellow" caution light is indicating on the RT side; I am maybe one behind. Next week I am planning three RT sessions in to stay on track.

I'm adding in barbells and dumbbells to my upper body routine again. I was using cables and machines a little more, but I'm hoping to push the muscles more by moving to the free weights.

My routine is:

A) Bench press 3 x 10
B) Bent-over dumbbell row 3 x 10

A) Cable lat pulldown 3 x 10
B) Incline DB press 3 x 10

A) Shoulder press 3 x 10 (been shifting between machine and dumbbells)
B) delt machine or bent-over lateral flye 3 x 10

As before, I do these in supersets with no rest between A and B components, and about 1 min rest between supersets. Sometimes I'll add assisted pullups and/or dips depending on how things are going.

I managed to get in my resistance training yesterday (lower body and abs) and I'm pretty happy with how it went. The barbell lunge/squat superset does not involve a ton of weight, but by the end of each set I'm feeling pretty wasted in terms of my legs. I added in a heavier V-squat right afterward, using a Hammer Strength machine, to push my quads a bit more.

Today, I jumped into a spin class led by a more soft-spoken instructor - she is actually the one who led my first class too. (Was that only three or four weeks ago? Seems like a lot longer!) I really get a lot out of her approach, and work at at least as high an intensity as with the higher-volume instructors!

So far, this challenge seems to be off to a promising start. Last night, a friend I haven't seen in a while noticed the weight loss, even in a dark parking lot (I'm down probably 15 pounds from my peak in February). I have noticed a reduction in some measurements already, and my reported 2lb weight loss in the Summer 52DC is sandbagged a bit. My old spring scale bounces around when I weigh myself, and I've changed from the "minimum" reading to the maximum reading so that I'm not understating my weight. Bottom line - I think I may have lost a bit more but I'm not going to report it unless the scale holds solid at that number. Oh, and if I hit my target, I'll be getting a fancy new health scale (w/BF measurement ) to take things to the next level!

Did a spin class instead of the planned RT session. This isn't the first time I've ditched the weights for some sort of cardio - I need to step up the RT's if I'm going to hit my goals this time around. (Last time, I came up short on the RT goal at 15/20).

On another topic, the Globe and Mail has a series on salt consumption running this week. Link here... I have been trying to cut down on my sodium intake for a while now, and it is absolutely crazy the amount of salt that is in virtually every packaged food out there. Try finding a canned soup with a reasonable amount of salt, or even a mass-market pasta sauce. It is criminal that 13-year-old athletes are being diagnosed with high blood pressure because food manufacturers have pumped their products full of (highly addictive) sodium at crazily unhealthy levels.

I did manage to sneak away for a CT (spin class) on Sunday, before blowing the clean eating program all to bits over a family dinner that evening. I need to hit the weights today, so I figured it was time to give some specifics - here's my plan today:

Lower Body Workout (twice/week)
(A and B done as superset, no rest between. 1 minute recovery between sets)

7 minute warm-up - elliptical

A Squats 3 x 12
B Barbell Lunges 3 x 12

A Leg curl (machine) 3 x 12
B Leg extension (machine) 3 x 12

A Back extension 3 x 15
B Swiss ball crunch 3 x 15

(30 minutes interval cardio (various machines) optional depending on energy level)

So far so good on all aspects of the challenge - got in an RT session yesterday (chest/back/arms) and got my butt kicked in a spin class this morning. I ran out of gas at about the 30 minute mark (middle of a long climb) and had a tough time keeping up for the last third of the session. Looked like a drowned rat by the end - kind of like Blaze here. I might have to invest in some dry-fit workout clothes!
The different styles of the class leaders really make a difference on how the sessions go - today's instructor comes across as a bit of a drill sergeant (in a good way) and you feel like you're letting the whole room down if you don't get up, dig, or sprint when she says so.

For me, the toughest part of the challenges are the weekends. Sneaking away from the family for 90 minutes or so to get in a workout seems wrong on the few days we get to spend together, and wine and beer seem to call my name a lot louder on Saturday and Sunday. Taking full advantage of the few cheat meals available, and paying close attention to portion control (including recorking the wine bottle after one glass) are skills I'm still learning here at the beginning of my second challenge.

It's going to be a slow start on the workout front, but that doesn't mean that clean eating is out of the question! I need to stock up again on the CE-friendly ingredients that will help me stay within my macronutrient boundaries - oatmeal, whole-wheat tortillas (small), and some seafood from Caudle's Catch should make their way into my meals over the course of this week.

I'd be interested to hear to what extent others prepare meal plans during the challenges - do most just wing it, or are people pulling together detailed menus for each day? I'm more of a "wing-it" type myself...

I decided to sign up for my second 52 day challenge (52DC), starting on June 17th. After achieving "gold" in the spring challenge, despite a significant performance drop in the middle, I decided to bump up my cardio and eating goals and really target the 5% body weight objective this time around.

Here is what I came up with for this time around...

CE: 85 (max. 2400 cal/day, 30/30/40 protein/fat/carbs
(over two servings of alcohol in a day disqualifies it)
RT: 20
CT: 25

PG1: 5% body weight (11 lbs)
PG2: 8 spin classes - one per week
PG3: 800 crunches - either Swiss Ball, floor or m/c (approx. 100/week)

Wednesday is a tough day for me, with meetings all day, so I'll be starting from the back foot on this challenge. However, I'm pretty focused now on the program, so I have high expectations going in.