It’s been along time since the last post, but here’s what you’ve missed:

Early morning cardio isn’t working for me. I just can’t get up. True, I could adjust bed time, but that would cut into other things that equally need attention.

My diet hasn’t been the best in the world, nor the worst. I need to be more diligent, but now I have challenged myself to figure out when diligence becomes obsession. The Bible tells me that diligence is necessary to succeed, but obsession is idolatry, which is a sin. So, at what point do you cross the line? I’m seeking to be more diligent without it becoming an obsession. In the past, I’ve not maintained the balance well.

Back on topic: How do you prevent muscle loss? Two simple things: eat more protein and perform weight-bearing exercise (lift weights). If you noticed in previous posts, I am trying to get 40% of my calories from protein. These are generally in the form of fish, chicken, cottage cheese and whey powder, which is a supplement drink mix found in most stores.

My current approach to lifting weights is very simple. I wanted a routine that I could do either with dumb bells, free weights or a universal type of machine. This allows me flexibility in the gym if one machine or station is occupied. I have a two-day split where I do upper body exercises one day, lower body the next and rest on the third day. I also rest on Sunday, so this is a Monday/Tuesday-Thursday/Friday schedule with rest on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. (I may do cardio on these rest days.)

So, for my upper body, I do chest, back, shoulders, bicep and triceps exercises in that order in rapid succession…boom, boom, boom. I work quads, hamstrings, calves and abs on the other day in the same fashion. After each set of exercises, I rest anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and repeat for a total of 3-4 sets. So generally my workout looks like:

Upper Body
Bench Press
Bent-Over Row
Upright Row
Curl
Tricep Extension
Rest and Repeat

Lower Body
Squat
Stiff Leg Dead Lift
Calf Raise
Crunch
Reverse Crunch
Oblique Crunch
Rest and Repeat

This approach allows me two things. I can do my workout in 15-20 minutes (which is perfect on my lunch hour). The rapid progression elevates my heart rate to a cardio level and burns more calories.

As far as reps, the body adapts quickly to new stimuli, therefore I may do 15 reps at a lower rate for a few weeks and change to 5 reps at a heavy weight for a while. Either way, I am accomplishing my goal while I’m shocking my body to adapt. I try to be quick and intense to maximize my time in the gym. I probably won’t develop a body builder’s physique this way, but I should maintain the muscle I have and maximize my fat loss in the process.

A person should find what works for them, but not be afraid to try different routines, exercises and combinations of sets/ reps/ rest. A great resource is http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html.

I’ll delve into the world of calories next time.