Things are going well this week, and I already feel stronger, especially in terms of endurance. I have kept up with my healthy diet, and have not touched a soft drink in two weeks, which has been extraordinarily painful. It’s not the caffeine that I miss, no, it’s the taste. And my workout routines have been consistent, as has my interval training.
I started out two weeks ago weighing in at 167 pounds, which is NOT overweight. I am NOT trying to lose weight. Last year, I lost the weight I needed. hTis year, I am just trying to get back into shape, with the cut definition to go along with. When I weighed in on Monday, I was 164 pounds. At the time I am writing this, I was 160.4 pounds.
Again, I am not trying to lose weight, but it goes to show how effective eating the right kinds of food, proper exercise, and intense interval training can really start taking immediate effect. I don’t anticipate losing much more weight as my body adjusts to the higher metabolism, and my workout load increases. Keep in mind though, getting cut means burning fat, and I still have some rough areas to trim down.
Ultimately I would like to build more muscle, but most fitness experts will tell you that it is very hard to burn fat and bulk up at the same time. If you are serious about building muscle, then you should lose the weight and burn fat first, then increase workout load and weigth training to build muscle. That is the route I am taking.
I have one minor deficiency however, and that seems to be upper body strength. I can do push-ups a-plenty, but I struggle with pull-ups and chin-ups. Last year, at my peak, I was doing 12 pull-ups no problem. This year, on day one, I maxed out at 5.
Since week 2 of the program I am on has me doing chin-ups, I knew I wasn’t going to get in the 15 recommended. I did 8. That’s okay. The important thing to remember when doing pull-ups and chin0ups is that if you can’t get them all, don’t worry. Lots of people can’t. Do as many as you can, then immediately finish your routine with another shoulder/back exercise. In my case, I did my 8 chin-ups, then followed that up with 7 bicep curls. Most of the same muscle groups worked out, so I still got my full workload in. Over time, as my strength improves, so will my reps on pull-ups and chin-ups.
Here is a video of my chin-ups:
The pull-up bar I did indeed get from Bed Bath and Beyond. Here is the link to the item: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16159433. It’s around $30, and I used one of those 20% off coupons they always send in the mail, so it ended up being around $25. No screws, nails, bolts, or anything. I can do a dead hang on the bar, and it holds my weight fine. Upto 300 lbs max it claims. If you’re looking for a bar, this one is worth taking a look at. Of course, make sure to do your research on the bar to see if your doorframe is adequate enough to hold it.
Next week will be tougher, and I’ll make sure to update my progress!
