Posts Tagged ‘full body workout’

I have been training for a full week now. It has been interesting to see how I feel each day in regards to my progress as my emotions seem to change.The first two days I felt I was making good progress as I was quite sore. By the third day and forth day I didn’t feel very sore, but my muscles were tired and the amount I could work out tended to decline a little. I also started to have doubts about the progress I was making. Since the 5th day was the last of the week, I decided to push myself a little more and extend my time to about 45 minutes.

Overall, I feel much stronger after exercising for just a week. I can notice this not just in my workout routine, but in my everyday life as well. My balance has dramatically improved. This may not seem like a big thing, but it is the difference between bending your legs to pick up something vs bending your back. My shoulder pain from a past injury has also subsided.

Having a good workout each day has also helped me sleep better. Both sleep more sound and get to bed earlier. I tend to be a bit of a night person so this is a great benefit.

The one thing I haven’t noticed too much is in the shape or tone of my body. My shoulders have pulled back a little, but other than that I can’t really notice much. After only five days for training this is to be expected, but disappointing none the less. The pictures below are a before and after shot of the first week. The first I took the day I started, the second I took today after I finished.

Looking at these pictures, which completely embarrasses me, the first one almost looks better. I think that is probably due to the lighting. Now I wasn’t in horrible shape when I first started this project. After a month of relaxing in the states, I started exercising as soon as a got back for about a week and a half. The one slight difference I do notice between the photos is the posture. It’s not much, but it’s a sign I am headed in the wrong direction.

I don’t think I will have too much of a problem gaining muscle with the program I am using. Even in the short workouts I am doing I can feel it working. The hard part will be to lose the extra body fat allowing the muscles to show. As I put on more muscle, this should happen naturally as my body uses more energy. As long as my calories don’t change then I should start to lose body fat. Since I said I wouldn’t change my diet (I have been eating three full meals a day) then I should be okay. However, I have noticed that I tend to feel more hungry as my demand for energy is increasing. I have however, come up with a way to battle this.

A lot of the time people choose to eat, it’s because they are bored and not really hungry. We also use being hungry as an excuse to get out of doing something. It’s a way to get out of your work, writing your paper,  or doing your house chores. So instead of eating when I feel hungry, I will exercise. It doesn’t have to be much. Just a few sit-ups, pull-ups, or push-ups will be enough. The idea is that I will be burning calories instead of consuming them, while at the same time training my mind to avoid “faking” hungry.

I have a few days off to let my body rest so I will be putting that idea to work next week. I would love to hear any comments on what you have thought of this project so far and if there is anything else you might like me to include.

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You can also find the previous days here

• Getting Fit in 30 Days: Day 1
• Getting Fit in 30 Days: Day 2
• Getting Fit in 30 Days: Day 3
• Getting Fit in 30 Days: Day 4

We have all seen the ads. Lose 10 pounds in 5 days, lose fat without changing your diet, get ripped in 15 minutes a day, get the body you have always been dreaming of with our new magic pill. The ads always tell us it can be so easy and  usually display a picture similar to the one at the top of this post. Let’s face it. We all want to be in good shape. People sped huge amounts of money each year on make up, clothes, food, tans, and exercise programs to make themselves look and feel better. The advantage of getting in shape over the other things, is that you not only look better, but you feel better. You have more energy, motivation, and confidence. So can the results that everyone talks about really be achieved? This is what I plan to find out.

The problem with most weight loss or body shaping programs is that most people stop doing them after only a few days or maybe a few weeks. The beginning is always the most difficult because you body is revolting against the changes. I plan to compete an entire 30 days of training and see if I can get the body they always show in the pictures. I am not trying to go for a body builder body, but I will try to gain definition and increase muscle size though out my body and try to gain the famous “6-pack” everyone always seems to be trying for.

Now the point of my test is two fold. One is to try and get in great shape. The other is to see if it is possible to get in shape within 30 days living within reasonable means. For instance, anyone can probably get in good shape in a month if they are training 4 hours a day 6 days a week. For obvious reasons, this isn’t possible for the majority of people and therefore realistic. It is also doubtful that anyone would stick with that plan for a very long time. To keep this program possible for anyone, I have come up with a list of requirements.

Requirements

1. Must not train more than 5 hours per week. This seems like reasonable amount for someone with a job.
2. Will not use any expensive machines. Any equipment used must be easily attainable and cheap.
3. Can not join a gym or receive any personal training
4. No significant changes to my diet. To be fair, I eat relatively balanced meals. However, I am not going to drastically change my diet for this workout.
5. No pills or supplements

The Plan

Lose fat weight and create a toned body in 30 days by using methods that require either no equipment at all (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc) or cheap equipment that can be purchased at just about any store (exercise ball, pull up bar, dumb bell weights, etc).

The Program

I will be using “The Truth About Abs” program in conjunction with some of my favorite exercise routines to try and achieve my results.  I will start the program on February 1 and stop on March 2 exercising no more than 1 hour per day 5 days a week. (I’ve never actually tried this abs program, but it is actually very well written and comes with a number of bonus books. I will do a full evaluation of the program in 30 days, but if you would like to check it out now, you can find it here.)

Documentation

I will be taking pictures of myself through out the process and may even do a few videos a long the way. I will also try and keep track of my basic diet. I will also keep track of the types of exercises and how my body is adapting to them. If you would like to get all the updates, and not just the ones I make post on the blog, please follow me on Twitter.

Final Notes

As I mentioned, the point of this challenge is to see if I can get a toned/muscular body in 30 days on a a schedule that anyone could accomplish. I would like to mention that I am someone who eats relatively well and am in decent shape. By no means could I run a marathon, but I could run a mile. During this challenge I will try to lose some of by body fat and put on enough muscle to have a six pack and a toned body.

Wish me good luck and please feel free to leave any comments you may have.