Jun 16

Today’s Workout: Back, Biceps, Legs

Exercise 31 Comments »

I have gotten a few e-mails asking me about my workout routine. I switch routines every few weeks. I switch from a strength building routine to a fat burning routine (I have been doing this for a very short period of time).

I am currently in the strength-building cycle, it lasts between 4 and 5 weeks. This means the traditional, gym-style workout where you do all “pushing” muscles, for example. I also add protein double my protein intake to build muscle. The idea is to gain as much muscle mass as possible so that I can burn more fat when I switch to the fat-burning cycle (which lasts from 2 to 3 weeks).

Today I did supersets of back, biceps, and legs. In this case, supersets means that I do two exercises in a row without a break in between. I take a 2.5 minute break (or less) and repeat for a total of 4 supersets [The routine takes about 45 minutes]. Here’s are videos that do an awesome job explaining each of the exercises:

Pullups Dumbell Rows

 

Continue after 4 sets of above exercises and 2.5 min break
Hammer Curls Reverse Curls

 

Continue after 4 sets of above exercises and 2.5 min break
Squats Lateral Lunges

I do these carrying weights
on shoulders as I with squats

 

Continue after 4 sets of above exercises and 2.5 min break
Glut Ham Raises Stability Ball Hamstring Press

 

My goal is to challenge my body. In this strength-building routine, I have four different workouts. Besides this one, I have one for chest, shoulders, and triceps, and a third one where I workout abs and obliques. I do one on separate days. On the fourth day (after I have done one of each of these), I walk. Yes… Walk. I walk one lap around each lane on the track, looking to shave off a few seconds for each lane from the last time I went walking.

For the exercises above, my goal is to do one more rep each time I do the exercise. I start with weight I can BARELY lift 8 times for each of the 4 sets. The next day that I have to do that same exercise, I do 9 repetitions in each of the 4 sets, and so on. When I can do 12 repetitions for all 4 sets I increase 10% of the weight and go back down to 8 repetitions. This is what works for me. You may find that increasing repetitions on the first 2 sets and keeping the same # of repetitions you did last time for the final two sets works best for you, try that. But again… the idea is to keep the body working harder than it did last time.

The body is an awesome creation and capable of conditioning itself very quickly. If you do not push it, it will simply learn what you are asking it to do and progress will stop.

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Jun 05

Low Glycemic, 6-Meal a Day Plan

Exercise, Fat Loss, Food, Nutrition 9 Comments »

Fruits and VegetablesYesterday, around noon, I tweeted that I was headed for my third meal of the day and asked my followers how many meals they had eaten so far. Most said 1, some said 2, others said 0! But I did get a few private messages (DM’s) and e-mails asking me how it was possible to eat so much and stay healthy. But most were interested in finding out what it was that I was eating (a diet/meal plan).

I made this low glycemic meal plan based on my current activity level. I change up my workouts from training that helps build muscles to training that focuses on burning fat every few weeks.

I am currently in the fat burning cycle (and will continue on it for another couple of weeks). Keep in mind that this is not a plan to lose weight and that physical activity is essential. In this fat burning cycle, the exercise is violent and exhausting (no long-distance running). I alternate between a weight-lifting session (30 minutes a day) and a sprint training (10-15 minutes a day). I exercise in the early morning, before the first meal.

I also take exceptional supplements which allow me to close the gap of nutritional deficiencies presented by this, or any meal plan, for that matter. Don’t believe me? I challenge you to construct a meal plan that provides you with ALL nutrients on a daily basis. Take into account proteins, essential fatty acids, phytonutrients and phytosterols.

Okay… Here it is:
On days I do weights…

oj pineapple straberry chocolate shake

08:00 AM :: 1 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1 serving low-glycemic meal replacement powder (vanilla flavor), and a whey protein blend.

toast and eggwhites

10:00 AM :: 2 egg whites (hard-boiled) on toast (whole grain, preferably Ezekiel brand, or one with grains/nuts).

01:00 PM :: 2 cups green salad with extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 lime as the dressing. 1 grilled chicken breask. 1/2 cup steamed broccoli.

cottage cheese with strawberries and almonds

04:00 PM :: 1 cup cottage cheese, 10 strawberries, 4 almonds.

yogurt with apple and almonds

06:00 PM :: 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 apple, 4 almonds.

low glycemic chocolate meal replacement drink

08:00 PM :: 8oz soy milk with low glycemic meal replacement powder.

On days I run/walk…
08:00 AM :: 1 egg + 1 egg white omelet, 1 turkey frank, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal (not instant; not microwaveable), 1/3 cup blueberries (or 1/2 cup strawberries).

low glycemic chocolate meal replacement drink

11:00 AM :: 8oz soy milk with low glycemic meal replacement powder.

chicken salad with two cups of vegetables

02:00 PM :: 8oz of tuna (or chicken 1 cooked chicken breast) salad (2 cups of vegetables w/ 1 table spoon of mayo) or 1 salmon patty with 2 cups green salad with extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 lime as dressing, 1 kiwi or 2\

yogurt with apple and almonds

05:00 PM :: 1 cup yogurt with 1 apple and 8 almonds.

08:00 PM :: 2 cups green salad with extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 lime as dressing, 1 grilled chicken breast (or salmon patty), 1/2 cup steamed zucchini.

I make sure to drink A LOT of water… A LOT of water. If you are unsure of how much water you need, read this: Water: What You Need to Know. I do not drink water during meals. Instead, I wait between 1.5 and 2 hours after a meal to drink water. I do sometimes eat 15-30 minutes after drinking water, but never before.

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Mar 27

Diet for Thursday, March 25, 2010

Nutrition 12 Comments »

This is not to lose weight! I don’t believe in “diets”! I know my body very well and this is what I think it needs. Yours could be VERY different to mine and as such, you should not eat exactly what I eat.The supplements, those you do need… maybe even at higher quantities.

Diet
At 6:20am drank a litter of water with 2 servings of glyconutrients and half a serving of an Energy & Endurance Formula that is perfect for athletes. (15.4 calories)

At 7:45am a liter of water with a Whey Protein Blend. I also took a Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplement, a Antioxidant Supplement, a Phytosterol Supplement, and an omega 3 supplement (essential fatty acids commonly found in fish). (71 calories)

At 8am I ate three poached eggs with a toast.

toast and eggwhites

toast and eggwhites

Many people, including nutritionists recommend this practice because of the cholesterol in egg yolk. But recent studies have found that cholesterol in the diet does not increase cholesterol levels in the blood. Instead, it is trans-fats that were found to increase cholesterol levels in the blood. I believe that egg yolk has beneficial and essential fatty acids. I didn’t eat them because I just had an omega 3 supplement and probably eating them at this time would be unnecessary. (116 calories)

At 11:50am I ate two poached eggs and an apple. (209 calories)

poached eggs

poached eggs

At 2:10pm I ate one poached egg and an apple. (131 calories)

At 3:50pm I ate an apple. (53 calories)

At 5pm I ate an apple. (53 calories)

At 6:50pm I ate an apple. (53 calories)

At 8:30pm I drank a liter of water with a Whey Protein Blend. I also took a Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplement, a Antioxidant Supplement, a Phytosterol Supplement, and an omega 3 supplement (essential fatty acids commonly found in fish). (71 calories)

At 9:15pm I ate double salmon patty sandwich (710 calories):

Salmon Sandwhich

Salmon Sandwhich

Two toasts with mayo
2 slices of cheese
1 jalapeño
Yes, the picture is not correct. There were no carrots or tomatoes. There were two full patties and not 1.5 and a couple of cheese slices, not just one.

4 liters of water

4 liters of water

Besides the two liters of water that mentioned I drank four liters of bottled water, three of which had two servings of Advanced Glyconutrients and a half serving of an Energy & Endurance Formula that is perfect for athletes. (43.5 calories)

I ate a total of 1526 calories. Today was an good balance to yesterday’s moderately high to high glycemic meals. Looking back, I noticed that I’m missing vegetables. I will be sure to eat GREEN vegetables tomorrow. My last meal was way too late. I don’t like to eat past 8pm. Although many nutritionists or trainers will say that it gets converted into fat because you go to sleep o whatever, I don’t eat it for one main reason: it can hinder your sleep. Try to go to sleep at least a couple of hours after your last meal. You want to be completely relaxed when you sleep. If your body is still working hard to digest what you just ate, it will do what it possibly can to not go to sleep until the food is digested.

Exercise
Sprint training

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Mar 26

Workout: Sprint Training

Exercise 17 Comments »

Yesterday morning I woke up saying to myself that I needed to add a little exercise in the mornings. I thought of a quick 15-20 minute workout routine that I could do first thing, before even leaving my room:

A set of 10 squads, immediately drop on chest and do ten push-ups, then immediately lay on back and do 20 sit-ups. Repeat three times without stopping.

And that’s what I was going to do until I saw a tweet by Pete Genot where he talked about the benefits of sprint training. After a couple of exchanges with him on his blog and via twitter, I decided switch out the routines. He said it would accelerate my metabolism. I remember the last time I saw my brother, he said that his trainer had him doing something similar.

400 meter running track

400 meter running track

So this morning I went out to a nearby track and did sprint training. I loved it. My lungs felt like I had inhaled fire, but that’s just my conditioning which will definitely improve as I continue to do the sprinting. Here’s how it went (please refer to picture on the left). I got to the track and walked one around the outermost lane (marked red). Then I cut inside and jogged curve 1 slowly. When I got to straight let 2 I sprinted as fast as I possible could and then went back down to an easy jog when I hit curve 3. I sprinted once again on straight 4, jogged curve 5, and sprint straight 6.

Oh my! I stopped halfway through straight 6 because I couldn’t go anymore but immediately motivated myself back up and I finished that last sprint. I cooled down by walking two laps around the innermost lane.

I highly recommend it for a quick workout. Because it’s my first day I can’t really say I noticed a diff with my metabolism. But it brought back a lot of memories from when I wrestled in high school and we would do similar drills. And the best thing is that it only took 20 for the whole thing (including the driving time).

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Mar 25

Diet for Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Nutrition 2 Comments »

This is not to lose weight! I don’t believe in “diets”! I know my body very well and this is what I think it needs. Yours could be VERY different to mine and as such, you should not eat exactly what I eat.The supplements, those you do need… maybe even at higher quantities.

Diet
At 7:30am I drank two liters* of water:

Whey Protein and Supplements

Whey Protein and Supplements

One plain and the other with a Whey Protein Blend. I also took a Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplement, a Antioxidant Supplement, a Phytosterol Supplement, and an omega 3 supplement (essential fatty acids commonly found in fish). (71 calories)
* I actually drank two of those blue containers which is more like a liter and a half.

 

At 8am I ate a one egg, two egg white, turkey ham omelet with a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese, a toast w/ half a serving of peanut butter, and a cup of soy milk. (418 calories)

Turkey Ham Omelet

Turkey Ham Omelet

At 12:15pm I ate a turkey ham sandwich. Obviously there were two slices of toast along with 2 slices of turkey ham, half a serving of mayonnaise, half a serving of mustard, and 1 slice of cheese. (307 calories)

At 2:30pm I ate an apple (red). (53 calories)

At 5:30pm I ate scoop of ice cream (butter pecan). (190 calories)

At 6:30pm I ate two (one serving) chew-able kids’ multivitamin/multimineral. (45 calories)

At 7pm I ate two tuna salad plates:

Tuna Salad

Tuna Salad

What is pictured here is for a lot more than the two plates I had. It is canned tuna with mayo, baby carrots, corn kernels, jalapeños, and jalapeño juice.
Normally I include A LOT of lettuce or spinach but I did not have any at home. I also had a cup of Sprite. (I don’t have any clue how many calories my servings had)

 

 

 

At 8:30pm I ate two scoops of ice cream (butter pecan). (380 calories)

4 liters of water

4 liters of water

Besides the two liters of water that mentioned I drank four liters of bottled water, three of which had two servings of Advanced Glyconutrients and a half serving of an Energy & Endurance Formula that is perfect for athletes. (43.5 calories)

Without considering the calories in the tuna salad (100 calories for Sprite are included), I ate a total of 1608. How much could it have had? Who knows, but more importantly… Who cares? The things to consider here are that it was a fairly high glycemic day. I will have to compensate tomorrow and go a little more lower glycemic than usual. The Sprite, the second serving of tuna salad, the carrots and corn in the tuna salad, and the second scoop of ice cream are what’s bothersome. One scoop of ice cream, with plenty of distance before and after it is low glycemic. But a second scoop soon after a first (or in my case at the same time) makes this a very high glycemic snack.

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Mar 24

Diet for Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Nutrition 1 Comment »

As mentioned on yesterday’s post:

This is not to lose weight! I don’t believe in “diets”! I know my body very well and this is what I think it needs. Yours could be VERY different to mine and as such, you should not eat exactly what I eat.The supplements, those you do need… maybe even at higher quantities.

Diet
At 10am (more or less) I drank a liter of water with a Whey Protein Blend. I also took a Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplement, a Antioxidant Supplement, a Phytosterol Supplement, and an omega 3 supplement (essential fatty acids commonly found in fish). (71 calories)

At 10:15am I ate a one egg, two egg white omelet with two tablespoons of cottage cheese and a cup of soy milk. (253 calories)

At 3pm I ate salmon patty sandwich (626 calories):

Salmon Sandwhich

Salmon Sandwhich

Two toasts with mayo and mustard
1 slice cheese
1/3 tomato (two slices)
Small bag of baby carrots (side)
Cup of Sprite (normally don’t drink anything during meals but had it left over and it’s been a while since I drank soda)

 

 

 

At 5:30pm I ate a scoop of ice cream (cookie dough). (190 calories)

At 8:15pm I drank a chocolate-strawberry shake (555 calories):

chocolate-strawberry shake

chocolate-strawberry shake
chocolate-strawberry shake finished

chocolate-strawberry shake finished
2 cups soy milk, 1 cup strawberries, 13 almonds (I don’t measure just get small handful), chocolate-flavored meal replacement shake, and a Whey Protein Blend.

 

At 8:30pm I ate two (one serving) chew-able kids’ multivitamin/multimineral. (45 calories)

chewable vitamins for kids

chewable vitamins for kids

The awesome thing about this is that I just gave myself more nutrition with these two little “candies” than with any other meal today! Each serving (two) of these chew-able supplements contains as much vitamin A as two fresh apricots, as much niacin as 5 medium sized carrots, as much vitamin D as 4 cups of milk, as much vitamin B12 as 60 ounces of chicken, as much vitamin E as 10.75 cups of kiwi, among MANY other nutrients (too many to list here).

I ate a total of 1740 calories but, as was the case yesterday, almost everything is low glycemic with the exception of the carrots and the Sprite. Stay away from carrots and sprite (I really hope you already knew about this one) if you are trying to eliminate body fat. Believe it or not, whole wheat bread is low glycemic (as is multi-grain; most other types of breads are medium to high glycemic). I also drank 2 liters of water in addition to what is mentioned above.

Exercise
About half an hour walk (one lap around each of eight lanes in a standard track).

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Mar 23

Diet for Monday, March 22, 2010

Nutrition 1 Comment »

It’s been about two weeks since I got a little off track. I stopped preparing food to take to school, I have eaten at some restaurants, and have almost completely stopped doing exercise.

On Sunday I said I would stop this and return to a healthy lifestyle. We all “sin” and it’s okay… As long as we don’t get used to it and we remind ourselves that it isn’t normal to eat like that.

I will share with you what I eat all week. :) I hope you like it. I forgot to take pictures yesterday and this morning during breakfast. But I promise I will take pictures of EVERYTHING from now on. AND I’M COMPLETELY AGAINST CALORIES BUT I KNOW IT’S THE ONLY WAY SOME PEOPLE THINK (that’s why I include them).

This is not to lose weight! I don’t believe in “diets”! I know my body very well and this is what I think it needs. Yours could be VERY different to mine and as such, you should not eat exactly what I eat.The supplements, those you do need… maybe even at higher quantities.

Diet
As soon as I woke up I drank a liter (32oz) of water. (0 calories)

At 7:30am (more or less) I drank a liter of water with a Whey Protein Blend. I also took a Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplement, a Antioxidant Supplement, a Phytosterol Supplement, and an omega 3 supplement (essential fatty acids commonly found in fish). (71 calories)

At 8am I ate natural yogurt with a handful of granola, an apple (red) cut up into squares no bigger than half my thumb, and a spoonful of honey. (Honey has a high glycemic index and should be avoided for those trying to burn body fat). (513 calories)

At 12:30pm I ate two apples (red). (106 calories)

At 2:40pm I ate one apple (red). (53 calories)

At 4pm I ate one apple (red). (53 calories)

At 5pm I ate a scoop of ice cream (cookie dough). (Ice cream is a low glycemic food when eaten between meals – two hours before or after any meal. I ate it because the apples I had eaten all day were digested fairly quickly and it’s likely that my stomach was already empty). (190 calories)

At 7pm I ate three quesadillas (small corn tortilla w/ mozzarella cheese) with A LOT of spinach (spinach inside the quesadillas, like tacos). (356 calories)

At 9:15pm I drank two liters of water (one with Whey Protein Blend and another one plain). I also took a Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplement, a Antioxidant Supplement, a Phytosterol Supplement, and an omega 3 supplement (essential fatty acids commonly found in fish). (71 calories)

At 9:30pm I ate a scoop of ice cream (rocky road). (190 calories)

Besides the three liters of water that mentioned I drank four liters of bottled water, three of which had two servings of Advanced Glyconutrients and a half serving of an Energy & Endurance Formula that is perfect for athletes. (43.5 calories)

I ate a total of 1646.5 calories yesterday. But more important than that is that almost everything that I ate (with the exception of honey and tortillas) were items with a low glycemic index. The supplements are necessary because it is IMPOSSIBLE to get all of the nutrients that you need from food alone. I eat apples a lot because it is easiest for me to take when I have to go out of the house. The plastic used for the bottled waters are very, very bad for your health. I drink from glass when at home but I haven’t found a suitable substitute for bottled water when I have to step out (especially when I have to go to school and I take 4 liters with me each day). Water is VERY important and you should drink AT LEAST 2 liters a day (optimal amount is to drink, in ounces, what you weigh in kilos).

Exercise
I did biceps (hammer curls) at home when I arrived from school.

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Feb 24

Why Weight Doesn’t Matter

Fat Loss No Comments »

Last week, in my “Focused” post, I mentioned that I had lost 3.6 pounds. Immediately after that I posted circumference reduction of many body parts and then mentioned that I really didn’t care about weight.

Think about it, muscle and bone weight more than fat. Fat takes up more space then either of the two. Fat is less dense. It’s that simple. I understand it can be hard to wrap your head around this because it goes against what you have always been taught. Look at my results from last Sunday’s measurements, compared to last week’s measurements:

  • Weight: 0
  • Neck: 0.1
  • Chest: -0.9cm
  • Waist: -0.8cm
  • [Left] Bicep: -0.5cm
  • [Left] Forearm: 0.4cm
  • Hips: -0.3cm
  • [Right] Thigh: -1cm
  • [Right] Calf: 0
  • [Right] Ankle: 0

Think about it. Why would I get thinner if I didn’t lose any weight? I’m confident that it is muscle growth and my bone mass has stayed the same. Earlier today I told someone about these results and her response was “That would for sure frustrate me!” Would it frustrate you to look if you stepped up on the scale and saw no change?

Get Rid of Your Scale
I challenge you to stop weighing yourself. Instead, get a measuring tape like the one I use and measure the same parts of the body that I have listed.

Still Not Convinced?
You still can’t think beyond what the scale reflects? Do you want to weight less or look thinner? Is your goal for losing weight to be healthier? It’s not your weight that is unhealthy, it’s your body’s fat content. Are you losing weight because you want to look better? When was the last time you shopped for pants or a bathing suit according to weight? NEVER! You look for waist sizes, right? If you goal is to have a certain measurement, the only way you will know that you are progressing towards that is my measuring yourself.

What does Matter
But you’re still thinking that the elimination of fat should have resulted in some weight loss, right? That weight was offset by growing muscles! How can I be so certain? On Monday I increased the weight on each of my exercises. The only way this can happen is if the muscle has grown. And guess what? Bigger muscles mean bigger fat loss.

Note
I weigh and measure myself once a week, first thing in the morning (after going to the restroom). In other words: I wake up, go to the restroom, and make my record my measurements (I will post link to progress form I use later). It is very important that you do the same.

Required Legal Disclaimer: some of the links mentioned within this post or posts they lead to are my affiliate links and I get compensated for recommending those products. However I NEVER recommend something I don’t believe in and welcome your questions and feedback.

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Feb 15

Focused

Exercise No Comments »

Today was the second day I worked out alone. The other two people from the workout trio we formed didn’t show up on Friday or today.

I liked the fact that I get done with my workout between 30 and 40 minutes. But I tend to hold back, especially on the bench press because there is no one there to spot me.

But I am very proud that I have not missed a single day. Well, for the weights. I have not been able to go for some of the walks.

Exercise Routine
On my “Fat Elimination Mode On” post I mentioned that we were going to do pushing muscles on Monday, pulling muscles on Wednesday, and legs on Friday. I also said that we would be changing this as soon as we got used to the workout.

Well… We got used to them by the second day! We are now doing pushing muscles from the waist up and hamstrings on one day, and pulling muscles from the waist up and pushing leg muscles the next time. And we alternate like this every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So we get to work one group twice in a week. I like it… it’s working very well.

I go walk/hike on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings when I can. Although walking helps with my circulation and helps with my breathing, it is not an integral part of my weight loss program. I do think it’s necessary and I do what I can to get out there for a 30 minute walk on each of these days.

Fat Loss Progress
I weigh and measure myself every Sunday morning. Yesterday morning was my third measurement and saw that I had lost 3.8 pounds since January 31st. Not a lot when compared to strict diets or rigorous workouts, right? Check this out, though:

  • Neck: -1.1cm
  • Chest: 0.8cm
  • Waist: -2.8cm
  • [Left] Bicep: -0.9cm
  • [Left] Forearm: 0
  • [Left] Wrist: -0.2cm
  • Hips: -1.8cm
  • [Right] Thigh: -2.9cm
  • [Right] Calf: -0.5cm
  • [Right] Ankle: -0.9cm

This is a clear indication that I am losing body fat. Little weight, but smaller circumference all over. Next time someone says “I lost 10 pounds with so-and-so-wonder-diet”, ask them, “how many pant sizes did you lose?” And see if their ration is 1 inch per 3.5 pounds. It is unlikely.

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