10% Body Fat !!

Hi everyone

I’ll make this short and sweet. It’s taken me a long time (I started working out in January 2014), but I have finally reached a key goal on my way to my ideal physique. 10% body fat !! When I started this journey, I weighed in at 170 lb with 23% body fat. Today the scales read 146 lb, and my body fat callipers gave me a reading of exactly 10%. Check out my progress pic…

I hit some serious plateaus with weight loss on my way to 10%. However, after switching to Kinobody’s Aggressive Fat Loss Program in November 2014, I never looked back. This was the first time I had incorporated intermittent fasting into my daily schedule. Granted, I was suspicious at first. But the results speak for themselves. I’ve averaged approx. 1.0-1.5 lb of pure fat loss per week since starting this program. This in itself is incredible. However, I feel that the true piece of brilliance lies within the fact that this program is manageable. No low carb, high fat, zero fat, low calorie, fad diet bullshit. Just a simple ethos which I could carry out with ease on a daily basis. And just three lifting days per week!

I would just like to clarify – I have no affiliation to Kinobody. I’m just a big fan. Once you find what works for you, stick with it. Because I truly believe that this is the only way you will see long-term results. Stop program hopping! Kinobody is what worked for me. Seriously, click AWAY from bodybuilding.com…

My next goal is to pack on a little bit of muscle (not too much). I think I could do with a bigger chest and lats. My target weight is 155 lb, and I would like to finish up in the 8-9% body fat range. I’m about to go into a slight calorie surplus (first time in a LONG time) and I could not be any more excited.

See you at 155 lb !!

Andy

Year 1 Results

Hi everyone!

It’s been a long time since I last posted. Apologies for this! My blog worked great while I was keeping track of my ‘Shortcut to Shred’ progress. However, with a year-long continuous fitness regimen, posting every week became a bit laborious. I wanted to write today as this blog began with a New Year’s resolution. Scrolling back to last year, I can see that I wanted to ‘progress to fitness by the end of 2014’. Today, I thought I would review my year for you guys (with a progress pic to boot).

To summarise my year before we go on:

1. Jan-Mar: Shortcut to Shred (23% BF -> 14% BF) // (77.2 kg -> 72.5 kg) // (36″ -> 32.5″)
2. Apr-May: No exercise (14% BF -> 23% BF) // (72.5 kg -> 77.2 kg) // (32.5″ -> 36″)
3. Jun-Jul: Shortcut to Shred (23% BF -> 18% BF) // (77.2 kg -> 75.5 kg) // (36″ -> 33.1″)
4. Aug-Oct: Mike Matthews Cut (18% BF ->14% BF) // (75.5 kg -> 70.3 kg) // (33.3″ -> 31.75″)
5. Nov-Dec: Kinobody Aggressive Fat Loss (14% BF -> 11.5% BF) // (70.3 kg -> 67.8 kg) // (31.75″ -> 30.6″)

Progress Pics:

JAN-JUL 2014: Shortcut to Shred

Early followers of my blog will know that I kicked 2014 off with Jim Stoppani’s ‘Shortcut to Shred’. The promise was to cut body fat and cut it fast! What’s more, Stoppani claims that users of this program will also make muscle gains alongside the fat loss. After six gruelling weeks (and boy do I mean gruelling), I had undergone quite a transformation. I managed to drop body fat from 23% to 14%, removed 3.5″ from my waist circumference, and dropped 4.7 kg from my total body weight. Most impressively, true to Stoppani’s word, I also managed to pack on an additional 3 kg of lean mass. Impressive stats huh?

Well, that’s all well and good, but I still wasn’t satisfied with what I saw in the mirror. I went on to learn that you really need to cut to below 10% body fat if you want to truly see your abs. The Shortcut to Shred was so ridiculously gruelling (seriously, not for the faint of heart, I can’t stress this enough…), I found the thought of shedding a further 4% body fat using this method to be rather demoralising. During March I got a new job and was sent off to Vancouver for 3 weeks for training. No gym. No want to exercise. A high drive to eat like a monster. The result? Upon my return I measured my stats. To my absolute HORROR, I had returned to my exact same weight and body fat percentage as when I started. Ridiculous right? And demoralising to the max.

I sat down and mulled over my next step. I was so pissed at myself for putting all the fat back on, but how did it happen so fast? I do have a theory. The Shortcut to Shred is extremely low carb. After reading around many health and fitness blogs, I now see that low carb diets are not the way forward. They lead to a dramatic loss in water weight (hence my rapid weight loss and reduction in body fat %), but put your body in an imbalance. In essence, when you return back to your normal diet, your body acts as a sponge, ready to pack on everything it was missing during the diet. Not the perfect strategy for continuous healthy weight loss!

Despite learning this, I decided to perform the Shortcut to Shred once more as an emergency strategy to get myself back on-track. If I could drop my body fat % to something similar to where I left-off, I could then implement a more intelligent strategy for continuing through the year. Surprisingly, my second round of the Shortcut to Shred did not work nearly as well. In fact, I only managed to lose about half the body fat I did during the first run-through! I finished Week 6 at 18% BF, and even more demoralised than when I started. Remember, the Shortcut to Shred is a bastard! You want to see impressive results and fast.

So that was it. Death to the Shortcut to Shred. No more! It just wasn’t getting me to where I wanted to go. Time for a new strategy. It was June – the halfway point of 2014, and I was not making good-enough progress. Enter Mike Matthews of MuscleForLife.com.

AUG-OCT 2014: Mike Matthews Summer Cut

I think it’s fair to say that everything I now know about the gym, I learnt from Mike. He is a true fitness guru. I appreciated the switch from Bodybuilding.com (Shortcut to Shred) over to Mike’s site, as he cuts all the bullshit out of fitness. BB.com is full of advertisements and bro science. You will quickly realise what a joke the supplement industry actually is. You honestly don’t need 99% of the stuff that’s advertised to reach your goals. I started a slow and steady cut using Mike’s methodology at the start of August. By the end of October I had dipped below 14% BF for the first time in 2014. Most importantly, I was eating a diet with moderate carbs and not necessarily feeling like I was ‘on a diet’. Furthermore, I was only going to the gym four times a week, compared to six while on Stoppani’s program.

Results weren’t as dramatic and rapid as the Shortcut to Shred. However, I actually felt like I was finally doing things ‘right’. My mood was constant, I was allowed the odd treat in my diet as long as fit my macros, and I was now focussing on key lifts in the gym (such as deadlifts, flat press, incline press, squats, etc). Regarding cardio, Mike promotes interval training using the recumbent bike. I performed this at the end of every weight session.

A 4% drop of BF in 3.5 months wasn’t as rapid as I was hoping for. Although, it’s important to mention that I did not suffer any muscle loss at all during this period. It’s also worth mentioning that I had one or two cheat days per week on Mike’s program, and these often turned into food binges. I do feel that if I were a little bit more strict with my diet, I would have made better progress than the numbers indicate. I felt like I needed to change my program once more – not because there’s anything wrong with Mike’s methods, but because I was stagnating a bit and felt like mixing things up. I went on to find Greg O’Gallagher from a video podcast he did with Mike, and checked out his site – Kinobody.com

NOV-DEC 2014: Kinobody Aggressive Fat Loss

Firstly, I want to state how impressive I think the Kinobody programs actually are. Greg is a young guy who has seriously good knowledge about health and fitness. What’s more, he focuses on achieving certain body ‘types’. This is something I had always questioned myself when blindly following workout programs (why am I doing this exercise, what will it do to my body?). Programs are split into Warrior, Greek God, and Superhero. For those that are looking to shed fat ASAP, there is the Aggressive Fat Loss Diet. As I was stagnating and needed a kick up the ass, I decided to follow the AFL diet and work out using exercises described in the Warrior program. I want a slim (yet muscular), toned, and athletic body. This is exactly what the Warrior program is for. Think Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.

With just four weeks on this program, I dropped a further 3% body fat. Brilliant results! What’s more, Greg believes in just three heavy lifting days per week. I was sold. I switched my cardio to the treadmill (much more interesting for me than the recumbent bike) and performed this every day I wasn’t lifting. Furthermore, I followed Greg’s Abs routine twice per week. This has brought my abs out for the first time in such an impressive manner! My back looks pretty good too…

A final key part of the AFL diet is intermittent fasting. This involves waiting for six hours after waking before eating. During these six hours, I drink only black coffee and water. Caffeine is a great fat burner when in the fasted state. I truly believe that intermittent fasting has helped knock that extra bit of body fat off.

Random points, in no particular order, I have learnt from Year 1:

• Most supplements do nothing for cutting. The only things worth using are caffeine and maybe green tea (although it didn’t have much of an effect on me). Yohimbe can be used, but only if you train in the fasted state. Otherwise, it’s pointless.
• Lift heavy!! Low weight / high rep work will do absolutely nothing to aid progress. If you’re following a program that includes them (e.g. Shortcut to Shred), it’s probably just to pad the program out and make it seem more complex than it actually should be.
• Eat enough protein. At least 1 gram/pound of bodyweight. Consistently eat less when cutting and you will lose lean body mass. Most of us don’t want that. You can use protein shakes if you want, they won’t do you any harm. I personally try to reach my protein goals by food only.
• Most programs don’t include ab work. I personally think they should. Check out the one I use on Kinobody.com.
• Learn how to chest press correctly (especially incline press). I had a very poorly developed chest for most of the year. After doing plenty of YouTube’ing, I’ve now mastered perfect form. If you don’t have an achey side-of-chest the day after chest day, you’re doing it wrong.

I think that’s a fairly good summary of my year. What next?

Well, I’m certainly not done. I would ideally like to reach a body composition of 9% BF and weigh-in at about 73 kg. This means packing on about 6 kg of lean muscle. The start of 2015 will involve me dropping down to 9% BF. Then comes the fun bit – increasing calories for the first time in over a year to get heavier!

I won’t be posting weekly like the start of last year. However, I will check-in with progress photos when I’ve reached key goals such as BF%’s and lean mass markers.

If you’re one of the >5000 people who have visited my site to learn about the Shortcut to Shred and want my advice, know this… don’t do it. Head on over to Kinobody.com or MuscleForLife.com. Greg and Mike will get you into shape.

Have a great New Year. See you in 2015!

Andy

Shortcut to Shred – Week 6 Results

I have officially finished the Shortcut to Shred !!

The past six weeks have been a seriously gruelling trial. I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t pushed my body this hard before in my life. Sure, I trained and ran for a half marathon once. I also used to play squash a lot. But nothing comes close to the intensity these gym sessions were performed at, or how much painful organisation was involved in making sure my diet was spot on for the shred.

The final week has been the most brutal. The reason for this – I made it so. I altered two things – (1) upped each cardioaccelertion exercise to 90 seconds, and (2) incorporated the cardio accelerated rest-pause dropsets. This second inclusion involved taking the final set of each exercise to failure, then running on the spot for 20 seconds. After that (in the middle of the weights section of the gym with everyone staring at me), I repeated the final weights to failure again. Then, I immediately picked up a lighter weight (by 20-30%), and lifted it to failure. The final cardioacceleration exercise was then performed, and the set was done.

This was exactly as it sounds – ridiculous. I actually pushed my body so hard that by Day 4 I had started to flag (both mentally and physically). I had also developed a sore throat and general man flu. This was not ideal for the last three days of the program, but I pushed on through regardless. I am now feeling the effects of doing so (I’m sick and in bed), but there was no way I wasn’t finishing this program after getting so far through.

Drawbacks this week:

1. I managed to get tickets to a BBC show on Thursday and had to be in the queue by 5pm. As such, I did my gym session early. I don’t think I gave my body enough time to recover from the previous hardcore session, and all exercises suffered as a result.
2. The final gym session took me a full 2 hours (and more). This was due to exercises I had to catch up on, extended cardio, and being sick. I don’t think this helped me in any shape or form.
3. My parents visited London on the Saturday and took me out for a meal. I had an ice cream sundae for dessert :O

Proudest moment of the week – I actually finished the Shortcut to Shred. This consisted of 36 gym sessions over a period of six weeks. I didn’t miss a single one!

Improvements for next week – None, as I am having a week of recovery before I set off on any further exercise regimens.

Monday 3rd March – Measurements

• Weight: 72.5 kg (-0.2 kg)
• Body fat: 14.09% (-1.21%)
• Flexed arms: R=15.00″ (-0.13″) // L=14.50″ (No change)
• Flexed calves: R=13.75″ (No change) // L=13.88″ (-0.06″)
• Shoulder circumference: 46.00″ (+0.69″)
• Waist: 32.5″ (-0.13″)
• Chest circumference: 36.63″ (-0.12″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=21.94″ (-0.31″) // L=21.94″ (-0.31″)

Pictures

Looking at my results for this final week, you’ll see that I’ve dropped a tad more weight (not much), lost another 1.21% of body fat, and slimmed down even further around my waist. This has been a continuous pattern during the program, indicating that, quite simply, it really does work. I’ve arrived at a body fat figure of 14.09% after the six weeks – 4.09% shy of my target of 10%. However, this was a slightly unrealistic goal given the time-frame. We all need something to keep working for right?

My Week 7 photos look largely similar to Week 6’s – however, I feel that my figure has changed slightly. It may be in my head, but I feel that I’m starting to gain that ‘V’ shape that we all strive for so much. I think this is starting to appear due to the narrowing of my waist. My abs don’t seem to be showing any more, but perhaps they will with a continued cut down to 10% body fat. This does seem to be the mystical figure that most men strive for in order to get their full set of abdominals on show. Of course, it differs for everyone.

For the second week in a row, I do not seem to have gained any size in the major muscle groups. The good news, however, is that I don’t seem to have lost muscle mass in general since the beginning of the shred. One problem with cutting is that muscle mass is often sacrificed in order to slim down. This program has done a very good job at preserving (growing, even) muscle, despite the calorie deficit.

Finally, I recall mentioning a serious craving I had during Week 2. It involved stumbling across a link detailing recipes for ‘snacks in a mug’. Well, just so you know I’m all about rewarding myself after doing a good job – the following was made in my kitchen tonight. IT WAS EVEN BETTER THAN I EVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED. Nutella mug cake…

I’ll see you in a couple of weeks when I’ll be striving to get down to 10% body fat.

For now, I’ll be consuming all the cravings I stopped myself from binging on during the last six weeks.

And I don’t even care! 🙂

Shortcut to Shred – Week 5 Results.

I’m so close to the end of the gruelling six weeks I can almost smell it!

Week 5 out of 6 of the Shortcut to Shred completed and I’m still going strong. I must admit though, I had lost a little enthusiasm at the beginning of this week. I reached a point where I’d seen significant progress, but seemed to lack the drive to really want to press on and improve even more. Thankfully, it was the sheer normality of this routine that kept me going – almost like going to school or work. It’s just something I had to do.

As mentioned in my improvements section last week, I upped each cardioacceleration exercise to 80 seconds. This did not go unnoticed by my body. An increase of 10 seconds each doesn’t sound much. But consider I perform on average 25 cardioacceleration sets per workout – that’s an extra 25 minutes of high intensity cardio for the week! I did feel that my body was getting used to the previous cardio sets, so I don’t think there was anything wrong with pushing myself that bit extra.

I have seen a decrease in the size of my calves since the beginning of this program. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why this was happening as every other muscle group seem to be growing nicely. However, after sitting down at the seated calf press this week and seeing a handle with unknown function, I thought I’d pull it. Sure enough, like a complete imbecile, I’ve been using the calf press with the catch on. As such, the press has not been lowering to the ground stretching my calves at all. Sure, I’ve found this out late. But at least I now know for the future! *Note to self – learn how to use all gym machines properly before I try to use them.

One thing I’ve noticed recently is that it can be quite hard to talk to some people about the program I’m performing. Weirdly, certain individuals (some of them good friends of mine) think they understand health and fitness more than anyone else on the planet. It’s a very negative, pessimistic, and cocky attitude. When telling one of my friends that I’m trying to get down to 10% body fat while maintaining muscle mass, the response was a sharp “Don’t be stupid, 10% fat is what athletes are. You’re not an athlete. That’s not even a good look.” I thought that this was a disappointing response to what I’ve managed to achieve and what I’m aiming for. I won’t let it put me off though.

Drawbacks this week – I had to attend a work event on Friday with a set meal. It was Thai green curry with white rice. Basically, an extremely high carb meal. As a consequence, I stuck to my calorie target but went well over my carb allowance for this day.

Proudest moment of the week – While walking past a mirror in my house with my shirt off, I actually noticed my chest. I’ve never had a chest before! I still don’t have much, but it’s so much better now than before I started this program.

Improvements for next week:

1. Increase each cardioacceleration exercise to 90 seconds.
2. Perform the optional ‘cardio accelerated rest-pause dropset’. This involves taking the last set of each exercise to failure, then performing cardioacceleration by running on the spot for 20 seconds. The weight is picked up again and reps continued until muscle failure. The weight is immediately decreased by 20-30% and lifted until final muscle failure.

Monday 25th February – Measurements

• Weight: 72.7 kg (-0.7 kg)
• Body fat: 15.30% (-1.03%)
• Flexed arms: R=15.13″ (+0.07″) // L=14.5″ (No change)
• Flexed calves: R=13.75″ (-0.19″) // L=13.94″ (-0.12″)
• Shoulder circumference: 45.31″ (-0.32″)
• Waist: 32.63″ (-0.62″)
• Chest circumference: 36.75″ (-0.88″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=22.25″ (-0.25″) // L=22.25″ (-0.19″)

Pictures

Once again, I’ll discuss measurements in two parts. Firstly, the numbers that are key to the shred – weight, body fat percentage, and waist line. I’ve dropped another 0.7 kg this week from my total body mass leading to a 1.03% decrease in body fat. This isn’t as drastic as last week, however the numbers are still moving in the right direction. To be honest, I don’t really want to be losing any more body weight, however I think I’m going to have to if I want to reach the 10% body fat mark. I dropped another 0.62″ off my waist this week meaning that I have a 32.63″ natural waistline. I penciled my ideal waistline circumference in at 32″ before this program began, so I’m very close to reaching this goal. I think it’s fair to say I will not be reaching 10% body fat before this program is over, but I may run through it again from the beginning to see if I can drop the final bits of blubber.

Interestingly, this is the first week where I have lost rather than gained muscle size all over. Only my upper arm circumferences were slightly positive (the smallest increase to my right arm and no change to my left). All other muscles including chest, upper legs, shoulders, and calves have reduced in size. I believe that I have reached a point in this program where I am simply not consuming enough calories to stimulate muscle growth. That being said, my primary goal was fat loss. As such, I am not too worried about this dip in muscle progress.

Despite the stunted muscle growth, my mirror shots this week look good. I think it’s fair to say that I now ‘have abs’ – even if it’s not yet the complete set. My upper traps are dramatically larger than they were when I started this program – this is the first week I’ve really noticed them. Also, you can tell from my side photo that my waistline really has slimmed down. I think I’m finally reaching the point where I’m pretty happy with how I look in the mirror. I certainly didn’t think that feeling was going to arrive within just six weeks.

When I write next week, the Shortcut to Shred will officially be over. I’ll be presenting my final results and I really can’t wait to share them!

Shortcut to Shred – Week 4 Results

Well, another Monday blog post, another week of the Shortcut to Shred down.

Jumping back into the diet and training was a welcome relief after leaving my diet by the wayside in Spain. As of Monday, I dropped carbs down to 0.5 grams/pound bodyweight. I thought that this was going to be a dramatic change, but I can’t say I’ve noticed too much of a difference. Dropping the carbs also resulted in a reduction of calories to approx. 2050 cals/day. This means that I am now in the largest calorie deficit of the program. The only negative impact from switching to low-carb is that I do seem to struggle more during my workouts. This includes mild shaking and feeling a little faint when walking off the cardio machines. Also, I seem to feel a lot sleepier.

Valentines day proved difficult as I had to fit the gym in after work and still make sure I got home in time to clean my house, buy valentines gifts and food/wine, and have a shower/look presentable. I then struggled a bit on Saturday as my gym closes early at 8pm. All in all, I’ve had to reduce my cardioacceleration sessions to just 1 minute a few times this week which is the opposite direction to which I’m aiming for. For the final two weeks of the shred I will be increasing these to 80 seconds and 90 seconds each respectively. Let the fat burn continue!

On a side-note, I had my first run-in with a meathead at my gym this week. I knew the rapid combination of weight lifting and cardioacceleration would be too much for some gym goers to comprehend. Sure enough, one douchebag had to butt in and be a moron. It started by me asking if I could set-in on his bench while he was on one of his 5 minute breaks between sets. I basically got growled at and told no. He then walked all the way over to the other side of the gym to where I was working out to take my dumbbells away from me and rack them. When I told them I was obviously using them, he proceeded to tell me how I should always rack weights and not leave them lying around. I WAS USING THEM! We then had a 2 minute argument, and the gym staff had to come over and ask what the hell was going on. I don’t understand some people.

Drawbacks this week:

1. Cardioacceleration times were minimised due to time constraints.
2. I was allowed a high carb day on Sunday. I had scheduled in a Pizza Hut pizza (after researching their nutritional information online beforehand). However, the restaurant wouldn’t let me have a medium to take away. Therefore, I ended up guessing on one of their random takeaway sizes and overeating. I went well over my fat intake and under my carb intake which was frustrating.
3. Arguments with gym members. Probably due to their roid rage.

Proudest moment of the week – I bought a new pair of jeans from Jack Wills and have dropped from a size 32″ waist to a size 30″. Hooray!

Improvements for next week – Increase each cardioacceleration exercise to 80 seconds.

Monday 18th February – Measurements

• Weight: 73.4 kg (-1.7 kg)
• Body fat: 16.36% (-2.34%)
• Flexed arms: R=15.06″ (+0.06″) // L=14.5″ (No change)
• Flexed calves: R=13.94″ (No change) // L=14.06″ (+0.12″)
• Shoulder circumference: 45.63″ (+0.29″)
• Waist: 33.25″ (-0.38″)
• Chest circumference: 37.63″ (+0.50″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=22.50″ (-0.31″) // L=22.44 (-0.06″)

Pictures

It seems that the drop in carbs has encouraged both a dramatic weight loss (-1.7 kg) and body fat percentage reduction (-2.3%) in the space of one week. Furthermore, I’m continuing to drop even more size off my waist (I’m now down to 33.25″). I must admit, I was getting a little worried due to my body fat percentage figure stagnating. It has stayed the same over the past three measurements. As such, I took great delight in seeing it fall to 16.36% today. As with previous weeks, I have seen very little movement in the majority of muscle measurements. However, my chest (and hence, shoulders) has increased by 0.5″. My chest seems to be my most under-developed muscle area, so I love it when I see an increase in size in this area.

This weeks mirror shots aren’t too different from the last, however I think I’m starting to see a bit more size up top (in line with the increased chest and shoulder measurements). Furthermore, my lower abs seem to be creeping through nice and slowly. I’ve been told that the most stubborn fat in the male is the lower tummy, so I’m sure this is why it’s taking so long for my abs to peel through.

I’m now facing the final two weeks of the shred and I could not be any happier. I’m striving towards my goal of 10% body fat. This figure may be a little unrealistic to hit in just two weeks time, but I’m going to try my hardest to get there. I’ve viewed an alternative cutting program by Jim Stoppani called ‘Super Shredded 8’, an eight-week cut in which the carbs actually drop further to 0.25 grams/pound bodyweight for the final two weeks. I might add these two weeks on to the end of my Shortcut to Shred if I’ve not managed to achieve my goal by then.

Speak to you again in Week 6!

Shortcut to Shred – Week Off.

Hello

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been away from home with little to no access to a gym (with no possibility of sticking to a good diet). This has been rather infuriating as I reached the halfway point of the S2S program. I was very enthusiastic about pushing on into the final three weeks of the shred, racking my brain to try and figure out how I could carry on with Week 4 whilst away from home. But, it just wasn’t possible.

One of my targets for the week was to stick off the booze. No matter what anybody says, this was not possible. I now feel quite sorry for the people who genuinely don’t drink (religious/personal reasons etc.) as the peer pressure at work meetings (with an open bar) is immense. Needless to say, I now owe various people money as I caved pretty quickly on the bet! I also had to step down from seven healthy meals a day to three pretty shitty ones. The highlight of my time away was when I got to eat real tapas. The food was just out of this world incredible. This was balanced out by the hotel food which was God awful.

I only went to the gym once this week, and that was to finish off Week 3 Day 6’s workout. I didn’t manage to complete this before I went away, so I fit it in on Saturday. I had a grand total of 7 days off without a workout, and boy did my body feel it. I’m actually shocked at how difficult I found returning after just a week! I’m now writing this on Monday, and my body is aching just like it was in Week 1. I also found the cardio a lot more difficult after the break.

Drawbacks this week:

1. I didn’t manage to stick to any form of diet whatsoever. I ate food as and when I could, and it was mostly of the yellow/beige carb variety. Furthermore, as I didn’t have my whey protein with me, I ate a very low protein diet.
2. I didn’t manage to make it to the hotel gym once as there was no time.
3. I drank beer. A lot of beer.

Proudest moment of the week – I tried a t-shirt on in Urban Outfitters on Sunday. For the first time in about two years, I wasn’t repulsed at the torso staring back at me in the mirror. It’s one thing seeing an improvement in stats and figures, but it’s moments like these that really make this program worthwhile.

Improvements for next week – Nothing complex, just back to the gym and the diet.

Monday 10th February 2014 – Measurements

• Weight: 75.1 kg (-0.8 kg)
• Body fat: 18.70% (-0.07%)
• Flexed arms: R=15.00″ (+0.06″) // L=14.50″ (+0.12″)
• Flexed calves: R=13.94″ (-0.06″) // L=13.94″ (-0.19″)
• Shoulder circumference: 45.34″ (No Change)
• Waist: 33.63″ (-0.37″)
• Chest circumference: 37.13″ (+0.19″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=22.81″ (No Change) // L=22.5″ (-0.13″)

Pictures

To summarise the three biggies – my weight has decreased by 0.8 kg, my body fat percentage has stayed the same, and my waistline has decreased in size by ~0.4 inches. Normally I’d be a bit disappointed by a stagnant body fat percentage, but as it’s been a week of stuffing myself full of carbs and drinking beer, I don’t think I’ve done too badly. I believe the weight loss is largely due to the measurement last week being taken on a pretty full stomach, but there may also be an element of my increased metabolism carrying-over into this rest week.

I think I can see a slight improvement in this week’s mirror shots (certainly on my abs). The side-on shot appears to suggest that my belly is staying nice and flat, with the further reduction of my natural waistline circumference supporting this. I’ve been hovering around the 18.70% body fat range for at least two weeks now, so I really hope the coming drop in carbs (0.5 grams/pound of bodyweight) along with more intense weight and cardio sessions will lead to this number dropping. This is my ultimate aim after all.

Something I’ve noticed that I feel is slightly alarming – the reduction in the size of my calves! Everything else seems to be getting bigger, but not my calves! I’ve seen a drop of 0.16″ from my right and 0.26″ from my left. This is weird considering I’ve been hitting them hard.

Anyway, onto the final three weeks of the shred. Here’s hoping I don’t get too hungry 🙂

Shortcut to Shred – Week 3 Results.

Hola amigos!

I’m currently writing to you from sunny Spain as I have been sent here by work for numerous meetings. It reached 17 degrees here today which, despite not being great, is a little better than London’s rainy 10. The beginning of Week 4 of the S2S is the final push of the cut (dropping down to 0.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight). Sadly, I’m going to have to postpone this for a week. As such, I’ll be aiming to stick to a maintenance diet. I’m going to try and get at least three gym sessions in, but I’m situated in a hotel with lots of colleagues milling around. I’m guessing they won’t be the most productive of workouts. The most difficult obstacle for me to overcome this week will be abstaining from beer. It’s an open bar all week, and there is now a £40 wager on me not lasting the duration of the meeting. I’ve eaten perfectly during the first three weeks – not a drop of alcohol or a chocolate bar in sight. This week is going to be seriously tough! I have some big drinking friends. I walked to the beach this morning at sunrise and thought it was worth sharing such a delightful piece of scenery.

To summarise Week 3 – easily the toughest yet. I wasn’t expecting much of a difference as the diet stayed the same as it was in Week 2. However, the weights and reps got mixed up fine style. The first three days concentrated on high weight/low rep exercises (I bench pressed 24kg dumbbells for approximately 5 reps). The final three days focussed on low weight/high rep exercises (I bench pressed 12kg dumbbells for around 30 reps). I believe the low reps are to increase strength, whereas the high reps aid muscle endurance and further calorie burn. Due to my travelling, I was unable to complete the last workout day of Week 3, but I’ll catch up with this when I’m back.

I’ve actually felt pretty crappy within myself over the last week. I have a feeling it all started on Tuesday after getting a small amount of sleep on Monday night (about four hours). The high weights really pushed me to exhaustion which wasn’t successfully treated by good recovery. Be it due to poor sleeping or not, my mood has really suffered too. At about 4pm on Weds/Thur/Fri, my head just dropped. I felt irritated and angry (for no apparent reason), but was so tired I couldn’t really do anything about it. I had very little energy to use other than perform my workouts, so I’ve been on a bit of a downer. I read someone mention in another blog somewhere that a low carb diet can seriously effect your mood. I may be finding this out right now! This one week break may have come at a good time.

Drawbacks this week:

1. I’ve stopped eating as much fruit. I seem to have dropped the pineapple from my nighttime cottage cheese and am only eating an apple/drinking OJ if it fits into my macros. I realise that these should be the first things going into my diet rather than the last.
2. Mega mood drop. Despite having nothing to be upset about, I’ve been walking around looking like I’m about to lemming it off a cliff. I’m honestly not, but I’ve felt pretty horrendous. This hasn’t helped my gym enthusiasm.
3. Someone smashed into the back of my car in the gym car park on Thursday. This didn’t hinder my workouts, but it did give me a bit of a sore back. It also didn’t help with my foul mood!

Proudest moment of the week – I’ve actually had a couple of moments stand out to me during Week 3. Firstly, I managed to have a lovely Wagamama meal (Beef Teriyaki Soba) on Thursday, checked the website for its nutritional content, and worked my daily diet around it. That meal made a nice change as it was full of lots of great ingredients I don’t normally cook with like lemongrass and bok choi. I’ve also lifted a lot heavier (actually to failure – I now know what this means!)

Improvements for next week – None really as I’m not officially training, however I would love it if I returned to England without consuming any beer.

Monday 3rd February 2014 – Measurements

• Weight: 75.9 kg (+0.2 kg)
• Body fat: 18.77% (+0.08%)
• Flexed arms: R=14.94″ (+0.06″) // L=14.38″ (-0.06″)
• Flexed calves: R=14.00″ (-0.06″) // L=14.13″ (+0.07″)
• Shoulder circumference: 45.34″ (-0.10″)
• Waist: 34″ (-1.00″)
• Chest circumference: 36.75″ (-0.19″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=22.56″ (-0.25″) // L=22.63″ (-0.06″)

Pictures

The first thing you’ll notice is that my body weight and body fat percentage has risen this week. Although this doesn’t sound great, I believe this is actually due to my routine being broken by my trip abroad. I ate a big meal last night (lots of tapas), so I will have been heavier this morning with that food still inside me. Body fat percentage is largely based on weight, so this is affected too. I’m not too concerned because despite the weight increase, I look a little better in the mirror. You can see that the top of my abs are starting to come through, and the side-on pic demonstrates how much flatter my belly is getting (I’ve lost another inch off my waist!!!). In regards to the other numbers, it’s another case of a mixed bag. I won’t focus on anything in particular because there are various rises and falls with no particular reasons for the patterns. Up to now, I firmly believe that this program is doing wonders for my body fat percentage and waistline, but it’s not building more muscle. Rather, it’s doing the best it can to prevent muscle loss under such a calorie deficit. It’s not doing such a bad job.

I’ll speak to you again next week when I’m back on British soil. I hope to God I haven’t completely destroyed my body with food and booze! But even if that is the case, the diet drops carbs to just 0.5 grams/lb of bodyweight for the final three weeks of the shred. As such, there’s only one way for my body fat percentage – and that’s down.

Adios!

Shortcut to Shred – Week 2 Results.

Hello!

I’ve managed to reach the end of week 2 and I’m still alive. Hooray! To be honest, the whole thing has become quite routine. Gone are the days of rather sleeping/dying than going to the gym. These thoughts have been substituted with just getting out of my front door and not even thinking twice about it. When I started this blog I set myself three simple rules in which to live by, and I think they’re worth reiterating:

1. Routine
2. Effort
3. Consistency

In this instance, routine groups two key things – gym frequency and nutrition. I go to the gym six times a week and I eat seven healthy meals a day. A routine is something you should be doing without thinking and without fail. So far, I’ve not missed one gym session or diverted from my meal plan once. Therefore, I think it’s safe to say I’ve found my routine.

Effort involves consistently pushing myself to the limit. This takes a bit of tweaking. For example, there were times during Week 1 where I pushed myself too hard and let subsequent exercises suffer. Whereas during Week 2 Day 1, my dumbbell weight choices were far too low (I was pressing 12kg dumbbells when I should have picked 16’s). This was always going to happen on the Shortcut to Shred program due to the consistently changing rep ranges. You really have to experiment to know what to lift. I think I’ve finally found what effort levels I should be maintaining to be killing the fat.

Finally, consistency. For me, this means actually completing the program. Not just a few days a week of one phase, giving it up for another phase, then switching program. I want to consistently perform and complete the whole program to make sure I get results. This then flows through to the rest of 2014.

So far, I feel I’m doing well. However, despite settling into a routine of eating healthily (I’m never hungry), I got serious sugar cravings this week. Thank this website:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/arielknutson/delicious-snacks-in-a-mug

I was stupidly browsing BuzzFeed and nearly wept when I saw number 11. I’m not even joking. It was the closest I’ve come to crying this year. And I’ve still got four weeks of this left! Other than that, my mind goes a little crazy when I walk past a Coca-Cola machine or see a cookery show on TV. I’ve not caved yet… however it’s taking serious willpower not to.

Something weird happened on the morning of Week 2 Day 5. Upon waking and looking at myself in the mirror, I saw two enormous symmetrical bruises on my back, just below my shoulder blades. Check it out!

I believe this to have been caused by performing dumbbell flies on both a flat and inclined bench, however I did these exercises during Week 1 too with no noticeable marks. The bruises have now gone a nice shade of yellow/green, and weirdly don’t hurt at all. They can’t be due to a lack of iron (I’m eating red meat twice a week and spinach every day), and I’ve never been known to bruise easily. I’ll keep watching them to see if they get worse during Week 3.

In other news, my carb levels dropped to 170 grams/day from 255 grams/day. This also involved a drop of 375 calories from 2835 to 2460 calories/day, however I really haven’t noticed any difference. I’m no hungrier, and the drop hasn’t effected my performance in the gym or my mood. As such, I’m currently quite happy with the diet. My macros stay the same for Week 3, but the carbs will drop again during Weeks 4-6.

Drawbacks this week:

1. I didn’t lift heavy enough on the first chest day. I came home from the gym happy with the level of cardio I’d performed, but genuinely upset that I hadn’t pushed myself with the weights. My chest is the most poorly defined part of my whole body, so I really should be trying hard to get some gains from chest days.
2. I’ve been turning up to the gym too late at night (about 9pm) which leaves me with only an hour to train. A good S2S workout should take 1 hour 15 mins (in my opinion), so I really was cramming some of the weights in. As such, my form suffered.
3. Idiots hogging weights/machines. This can’t be helped, but man they annoy me.

Proudest moment of the week – After my workout on Day 6, I went to the cinema with my girlfriend. We couldn’t catch the early showing we wanted to and had to wait around for an hour and a half with nothing to do. We hadn’t eaten as I was cooking later that night. Normally, we’d have pigged out at the nearest fast food joint for an hour. Instead, we played the arcades and I cooked salmon when we got home at midnight. I was starving, but healthy fish and brown rice is infinitely better than the bacon double cheeseburger that I was craving.

Improvements for next week:

1. A hanger-onner from last week, but I need to say it again… LIFT HEAVIER!
2. Get to the gym at 8pm rather than 9pm.
3. Mix the cardioacceleration workouts up a bit. I’m feeling comfortable with treadmill/bike/cross trainer/step ups, and have been repeating them over and over. This week I will incorporate goblet squats and mountain climbers into my routine.

Monday 27th January 2014 – Measurements

• Weight: 75.7 kg (-0.4 kg)
• Body fat: 18.69% (-2.48%)
• Flexed arms: R=14.88″ (No Change) // L=14.44″ (+0.06″)
• Flexed calves: R=14.06″ (-0.07″) // L=14.06″ (-0.19″)
• Shoulder circumference: 45.44″ (+0.32″)
• Waist: 35″ (-0.75″)
• Chest circumference: 36.94″ (-0.81″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=22.81″ (-0.05″) // L=22.69″ (+0.19″)

Pictures

As far as the measurements go, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Last week I had very clear gains in muscle size and a loss in overall weight/body fat%. This week, I’ve continued with the weight loss (down to 18.69% body fat!!!!!) but I’ve also lost some muscle size. For example, my calves have reduced in size along with my chest. My loss in chest size doesn’t surprise me at all due to poor lifting on the first chest day of the week. Week 3 involves a drop of reps down to 2-5 per set, so I’m really going to try and shock my body this week. However, the losses may also be due to my drop in calories. In total, I consumed 2625 calories less in Week 2. This contributed to my continuing weight loss, but was probably detrimental to overall muscle gain.

What’s important to note at this stage is that this is a cutting program. Yes, the tagline claims that you will be building muscle as well as losing body fat. However, I started this because I was overweight. As such, my main goal hasn’t changed – to lose body fat. I will focus any muscle gain to a bulking program afterwards. For now, I’m rejoicing in dipping below 20% body fat for the first time in a couple of years.

I won’t go and celebrate with a beer though 😉

Shortcut to Shred – Week 1 Results.

Hi everyone

As you may know, I am currently following Jim Stoppani’s ‘Shortcut to Shred’, a 6-week program designed to build muscle and burn body fat. Today is day 8, and I thought that noting down my body stats weekly would be a good way to track my progress.

Day 1 was nothing short of torture. I was honestly shocked at how horrendous the immediate change in lifestyle made me feel. The first thing that got to me was the amount of food I was forcing down my throat. In week 1 I was scheduled to consume 2835 calories per day in seven meals consisting of 255 g protein, 255 g carbs, and 85 g fat. After planning all of my food consumption in advance, I didn’t think it looked too bad. I certainly didn’t think I would be ‘over-eating’. But that is exactly how it felt. By the time I reached my nighttime meal of cottage cheese and pineapple, I was ready to heave. When I awoke on day 2, I was still full from the day before. I thought “how I’m supposed to be eating like this is and shredding at the same time beyond me!”

The workouts are intense. For me, day 1 was all about getting a feel of how the program is going to work, and how I am going to make it work with the gym I attend. Every weight set is broken up by 1 minute of cardioacceleration. I immediately realised that I had started far too hard. I decided to bench press 18 kg dumbbells, then burst into kettlebell swings. After 3 sets of that combo I nearly had to run to the bathroom to vomit. Only seven more exercises to go! By the end of the week I had learnt to pace myself much more, and not to go too crazy with what I’m trying to lift. My ultimate aim here is to shred – not become He-Man! I’ll be aiming to increase the weights as time goes on, of course, but this week was all about settling in and finding my limits. By the time I reached day 6’s workout, I was pushing myself as hard as I could during my cardio, enjoying and embracing the pain it was causing. I know it will be a good thing in the long run.

Writing this on day 8 I have now settled into the diet. If someone had told me on day 1 that I’d be OK with it in a week, I wouldn’t have believed them. But I’m actually starting the feel hunger pangs now after just 3 hours of eating my previous meal. It’s amazing how quickly the human body can adapt to what you decide to put it through. One of the hardest parts of the day for me is forcing my post-workout shake down. This consists of 50g whey/casein protein powder (unflavoured). All I want after a tough gym session is a Lucozade and a lie down, however I have to gag on this bottle of powdered mush.

I’ve kept up with pretty much all of the supplements, however I have decided to drink my own coffee rather than consume the 200mg caffeine tablets 3 times a day. I’m pretty immune to caffeine, but those pills had me shaking uncontrollably, and weren’t too good on my stomach either. Let’s just say I spent much longer in the bathroom during the first few days than was healthy. I don’t really like the effects of yohimbe either – it makes my skin tingle (not in a nice way). However, I’ve read numerous other bloggers state this side-effect too, without any other negative side-effects. As such, I’ll carry on with these for now.

Drawbacks this week:

1. The caffeine pills ruined my sleeping pattern. They were so long-lasting that on the first night I fell asleep at 3am. On the second night, I fell asleep at 5am, and on the third night I fell asleep at 4am. This combined with waking up early for work is not healthy.
2. I accidentally over-ate on the first two days of the week. I did not factor the nutritional values of nuts into my plan. As such, I ate ~120% of my daily allowance of fat on Monday and Tuesday. I have planned week 2’s nutrition a little more carefully.
3. I lied-in on a couple of days during the week due to my poor sleeping patterns. This meant I had to consume all of my food in a shorter time-frame during the day.

Proudest moment of the week – I went out for my housemates birthday on Saturday night and ordered the rib-eye steak. I substituted the chips for salad and did not eat dessert. I’ve never done this before in my life!

Improvements for next week:

1. Scatter my meals throughout the day in 3 hour intervals – and be strict about it!
2. Try to sleep earlier at night now I’m not taking the caffeine pills.
3. Drink 250 ml cold water before every meal – it helps with fat loss.
4. Lift heavier!

Without further ado, see below for my progress after the first week…

Monday 20th January 2014 – Measurements

• Weight: 76.1 kg (-1.1 kg)
• Body fat: 21.17% (-1.9%)
• Flexed arms: R=14.88″ (+0.08″) // L=14.38″ (+0.88″)
• Flexed calves: R=14.13″ (+0.05″) // L=14.25″ (+0.03″)
• Shoulder circumference: 45.12″ (+0.42″)
• Waist: 35.75″ (-0.25″)
• Chest circumference: 37.75″ (+1.75″)
• Upper-leg circumference: R=22.86″ (+0.26″) // L=22.5″ (+0.3″)

Pictures

You’ll notice straight off the bat that the numbers are all going in the right directions. I’m shocked at my weight loss in just 1 week, considering I felt like I was literally forcing every meal down. I’m presuming that this is due to the careful planning of macronutrient consumption combined with intense cardio. My body fat is down 1.9%, something which I am absolutely ecstatic about. After all, this is the ultimate reason I am doing this program. I feel that if this figure hadn’t dropped at all, I may have been a little disheartened. Long may the body fat burn continue! I’ve lost a quarter of an inch from my waist – nothing insane, but another marker of improvement nonetheless. All muscle groups seem to have grown slightly, especially my chest (1.75″). This seems high, but is noticeable in the mirror.

All of that and I’m only a sixth of the way there. Onto week 2! The carbs (and hence, the calories) drop from hereon in. I hope I don’t get too hungry.

Shortcut to shred – day 1.

Here are my initial measurements before starting the shred program. I’ll be updating measurements weekly along with a description of how I’ve found it all. There’s 43 days in all. Wish me luck!

Monday 13th January 2014

Measurements

• Weight = 77.2 kg
• Body fat = 23.07%
• Flexed arms = R=14.8″ // L=13.8″
• Flexed calves = R=14.1″ // L=14.2″
• Shoulder circumference = 44.7″
• Waist = 36″
• Chest circumference = 36″
• Upper-leg circumference = R=22.6″ // L=22.2″

Pictures

Find the program here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jim-stoppani-six-week-shortcut-to-shred.html