New Rules Of Lifting

I thought long and hard and did a lot of research before committing to something new, as far as weight lifting goes. I plan to stick with BFFM for nutrition purposes. And I mean really stick with it!

The best things about New Rules Of Lifting by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove are the simplicity and variety. There are 27 workouts (I think - I'm too tired to go back and look) that are designed around 6 different moves. They are put together in different ways, such as different rep schemes, frequency of workouts, and specifics of the moves. It would be complicated to explain, for me, but the way it's presented in the book is fantastic. The book provides very specific workout logs.

There are 3 different types of workout, plus a "break in" program to get you ready. There are 3 fat loss programs, each with 2 workouts that are alternated. The hypertrophy program also has 3 pairs of workouts. There are 3 strength programs, each containing 4 alternating workouts. Schuler and Cosgrove provide four different overall programs, but a lot of people I've seen on the NROL board design their own. If you do one of the pre-designed programs, it will take about a year to get through it as written, but not all of the workouts are incorporated into all the programs. The one I'm planning on doing, for the eternal beginner, focuses more on fat loss and hypertrophy, with just a little strength.

More about the six basic movements. They are squat, deadlift, lunge, push, pull, and twist. The programs use different types of these exercises (full squats and front squats plus a couple other types, conventional and Romanian deadlifts as well as rack pulls, 50 billion types of lunges). Push exercises include things like presses - you know, you push things away fro your body. Pulls include movements that - SURPRISE - pull toward your body, such as rows, pullups, and pulldowns. Twist exercises are core exercises that crunch and rotate. The book provides examples - with pictures - of most of these, and of course there are a thousand web sites out there that show substitutions.

For cardio, NROL suggests something called Metabolic Overdrive. That's a fancy term for high intensity interval training (HIIT) with a 1 minute work interval, 2 minutes of active recovery. You start out with 3 rounds, 3 times a week and progress from there. I'll be doing my HIIT on the elliptical after lifting. On non-lifting days, I'm going to do Turbo Jam. I really enjoy that stuff. Not the sculpting though - yuck. I also have some Tae Bo stuff I'll be checking out. And then once a week, for now, I'll attempt a tabata session, with the goal of moving to 3 times a week within six months.

The book doesn't focus on nutrition too much, just as Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle doesn't focus much on fitness. So I think these books fit well together for me. I'm not sure what my nutritional macros are going to be. I have it all in table form in my binder, but in general: 1300-1800 calories, 30c/30p/40f and I'll probably carb cycle.

I'll be posting all my specifics daily. I had an easier time staying on plan when I posted every day, even if no one read my blog. I'm going to try to focus on the emotional/psychological crap related to my eating. The book I ordered will be here by the time I get home, so I'm looking forward to that. I've been doing fairly well - no binges since early last week. I'm sure my trip will suck though.

Goals

As promised, I've come up with a set of goals to help keep me focused. I have the exercise down, and I know what I'm supposed to eat. I don't always eat it, but I know the nutrition portion of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle well. I'll work backwards from the list Tom Venuto gives.

Goal of beating personal best - I'm guessing this one pertains to exercise, specifically weight lifting. Or, I suppose it could apply to any form of cardio where something can be concretely measured. My cardio usually isn't that specific. Anyway, here my goal is to progress in some manner, either reps or weight, every other week for all of the exercises I do. I'm not sure how to assess cardio and beat my personal best. I'm not quite sure what time-frame to give myself for progressing with HIIT. I wish I had a treadmill. Maybe that should be one of my longer term goals.

Ultimate long term goal - Obviously, my goal is to be fit and healthy. I would like to be under 120 lbs and be able to actually run a 5k. And of course - maybe even most importantly, continue exercising and eating right. Part of "eating right" means I have to stop going from one extreme to another - no binges, no starving myself. I want to have control over my emotion, and stop allowing them to control my eating. I want to have a firm grasp of portion control so I can indulge in "forbidden" foods on occasion.

12 month goal - A year from now, I'd like to wear a bikini. I have the one I bought in 2003 when I first got skinny. I was flabby skinny then, so my next bikini will be 2 sizes smaller than the one I have now.

3 month goal - This brings me to the end of July. By this time, I will have been to New York to pick up my step-daughter and will be heading back to take her home. This means two weeks in a place I'm not very good at controlling my eating. So my goal here is to get through it without gaining weight. Also, since I can't bring my equipment on my trips, I will have an alternate plan that I will follow while I am away.

Weekly goals - The most important one is to support others in their fitness journeys. I belong to several online groups with weight loss challenges ongoing. I need to be more supportive and encouraging of their efforts.

Daily goals - These are pretty basic. I will eat every 3-4 hours. I will exercise every day (except Sunday). If I feel like I'm craving something I shouldn't have, I will get on the elliptical for 10 minutes, or find some other healthy distraction.

So, that's all I have for now. I'll revisit my goals every day, and I'll post in my weekly blogs how I've done. Meh.

Goal Setting as per Tom Venuto

I've decided to re-read BFFM and pay close attention to the chapter on goal setting. Tom Venuto says to set the following goals, and say why you have chosen each goal:

1. Your ultimate long-term goal
2. 12 month goal
3. Three month goals
4. Weekly goals (Weekly body composition test and weigh-in)
5. Daily goals (habits to develop, things to do every day repeatedly)
6. The goal of beating your personal best.

I think I am going to work on this over the next two days and post my goals at the end of my weekly blog. I've had a fantastic week so far, and I think this will keep my momentum up.