MuscleUp March! Workout plan included!

After my last check-in, I was pleased to see how well the increased cardio was helping me reach my fitness goals. I was dropping fat and inches BUT I wasn't increasing my lean mass. That's going to change in March! I decided to adjust P90X to better fit my schedule and also tweaked some exercises that I think do a better job of focusing on my goal areas. So, this is the calendar that I'll be following for March:

The most important thing IS STILL the Meal Planning Day! I can't stress enough how the changes that I've seen have shown up primarily due to the level of focus and attention that I've given my nutrition. That being said, I'm no nutritionist but I want you to try to adjust your eating habits slightly if you can. If you're used to getting Chick-Fil-A's fried sandwich, try out their grilled one. If you're like me and LOVE ranch dressing, try a balsamic vinaigrette every now and then. Or (this was a big one for me), if you drink A LOT of juice and soda, try giving yourself a water intake goal before you have your first glass of juice/soda. Trust me - it works! All those artificial sugars and sweeteners just aren't good for us.

I really hope that you try out some of these workouts and post on social media that you're #BuildingRome with me! It is definitely a motivator for me! Hopefully, I'm helping motivate you too! :-) 

For the women reading this workout and are thinking, "I just want to lose weight. Lifting all these weights will make me LOOK LIKE A MAN!" I want you to know that that assumption is COMPLETELY FALSE! Adding weight training to your fitness routine is the difference between being skinny and being tone! If you don't believe me, Google it (you can't lie on the internet, right?). 

For the men reading this workout and are thinking, "What's Leg Day?" or "Why does this idiot have Back Day on there twice?" I know that legs aren't considered a "beach muscle" so the warmer it gets, as guys, we tend to somehow have 8 bicep/chest workouts in a week! I get it - Suns out, Guns out, etc etc. However, friends don't let friends skip Leg Day. Having a strong base is imperative to see true peak performance in your Total Body and extracurricular activities (take that however you'd like to). As for focusing on Back twice a week - my back is an area that, though I don't intend to, gets neglected a lot in my routines. I know that the Back is an important part of my core so I want to make sure I reinforce it!

Well, that's it folks! If you're in for #MuscleUpMarch, take pictures or measure your areas of focus today (or tomorrow morning when you wake up). I know that most of you reading this probably have your own exercises that you like to do when you work the areas that I listed above. For those of you who don't have a set of exercises that you normally do or for anyone looking to mix it up, check out my "MuscleUpMarch Workouts" post for exercises AND links to YouTube for the ones that you may be unfamiliar with. I hope that helps. 

Thanks for reading, thanks for sharing, but most importantly...thanks for inspiring me! 

MuscleUp March Workouts

Here are the exercises that I'll be doing for March! Feel free to join in! I'm expecting each of these workouts to take no more than 55 minutes. Try to stay focused and not take too long of breaks. Work your muscles while their warm!

Number of Reps: 8-10 if you are trying to increase mass, 10-12 if you are trying to tone. Pick appropriate weights to make the last 2-3 reps challenging. Obviously, some of these can be done with just body weight but if you're feeling ambitious, add weights RESPONSIBLY! Be Safe!

Shoulders & Arms Day

1. Alternating Shoulder Press

2. Bicep Curls

3. Tricep Kickbacks

Repeat

4. Deep Swimmer’s Press

5. Full Supination Curls

6. Tricep Dips

Repeat

7. Upright Rows

8. Static Curls (alternating sets of 4 reps per arm, 12 reps total per arm)

9. Flip Grip TricepKickbacks

Repeat

10. ShoulderFly

11. Crouching CohenCurls

12. Lying Down Tricep Extensions

Repeat

13. T-Raises

14. Congdon Curls

15. Seated Tricep Extensions

Repeat

Legs & Back Day

1. Alternating Lunges

2. Calf-Raise Squats

3. Chin-ups

4. Standing Toe Touches

5. Wall Squat Hold (until failure)

6. Wide Front Pull-ups (or Lat Pull Downs)

7. Reverse Lunges

8. Alternating Side Lunges

9. Close Grip Pull-ups (or Close Grip Lat Pull Downs)

10. Single-Leg Wall Squat Hold (until failure) 

11. Dead Lift

12. Three-Way Lunge (Front, Side, Back)

13. Calf Raises

14. Squat Jumps

15. Invisible Chair Hold (until failure)

Repeat 1, 3, 5, 11, 13, 15

Core & Cardio Day

1. 20 minutes of cardio (your choice)

2. Crunches

3. V-Ups

4. Superman/Banana

5. Plank Hold

6. Left Side Plank Hold

7. Left Side Plank Hip Taps

8. Right Side Plank Hold 

9. Right Side Plank Hip Taps

10. Standing Oblique Crunch

11. Plank Walk Ups

12. 10 minutes of cardio (your choice)

*Do Exercises 2-11 for 1 minute each with 30 second rest in between

Chest & Back Day (reps: I try to do 25-30 of each push-up and 8-10 of the rest)

1. Standard Push-up

2. Wide Front Pull-up (or Lat Pull Downs)

3. Military Push-up (hands directly below your shoulders, elbows back)

4. Chin-ups

5. Wide Fly Push-up (hands out wide, elbows pointing out)

6. Close Grip Pull-ups (or Close Grip Lat Pull Downs)

7. Decline Push-ups

8. Heavy Pants

9. Diamond Push-ups (thumbs touching, hands forming a diamond, elbows out)

10. Lawnmowers 

11. Dive Bomber Push-ups

12. Back Fly

REPEAT workout doing even numbers first (i.e. 2,1,4,3,6,5 etc.)

Biceps & Triceps Day

1. Bicep Curls

2. Tricep Kickbacks

3. Static Curls

4. Tricep Dips

5. Congdon Curls

6. Lying Down Tricep Extensions

REPEAT 1-6 doing even numbers first (2, 1, 4, 3, 6, 5)

7. "Dumbbell Demolition" (Pick the heaviest weight that you can only do 5 standard bicep curls. Do 5 each arm. Go down 5lbs. and do 5 more each arm. Continue until you are using 5lb. dumbbells)

8. Tricep Burnout (pick the weight that you used for Tricep Kickbacks and do as many reps as you can until you burn out. Rest for 30 seconds and do it again. Rest for 30 seconds and do one more time).

DISCLAIMER: I provided video links to help you get the gist of the workout (instead of trying to explain every single one). Once you understand the workout, USE GOOD FORM, to perform movements. If you start to lose your form, stop, reset, and start back! #BuildingRome

4 Week Check-in!

Well friends...4 more weeks have passed since my last check-in and I'm down another 6lbs! That makes me the lightest I've been in 3 years! Body Fat % is down 1.8% and the inches are coming off too. I have to be honest...

This month has been TOUGH! I gave up A LOT of my favorite foods (pasta, bread, fried food, cheese, to name a few) in cycles and I think that kept my body guessing. Because I wasn't eating this stuff, I had to focus on other foods to still get the calories I needed. I added a lot of steamed spinach, spaghetti squash, and avocado. This wasn't easy but planning ahead made it easier. 

I know I have been posting weekly and that seems to be a good pace for but I do want to make this blog more of a journal. That being said, I'll start sharing more "random" things like workouts of the day, meal planning tips that I'm learning, and anything else that I think others can benefit from! For the record, I'm no fitness instructor or whatever. I'm just a guy who's trying to get in better shape than I was yesterday. Thanks for everyone who keep me motivated - YOU ARE AWESOME!

February Progress/Gift-giving...to yourself?

So we're just over half-way through February and this nutritional challenge has been TOUGH! Who knew there were so many delicious things that I wouldn't be able to eat once I designed this thing...sheesh! Even though it's been difficult, I've been able to stay very close to the entire challenge. The best part about it has been the increase in energy levels. Because I've had to change up some of my normal food choices, I've had to be more creative with my options and my body is LOVING IT! How much does it love it? So much that I've lost...

MORE THAN 5LBS THIS MONTH!! 

Now, I'm not falling in love with the scale number because I know my goal is more about feel and fit than anything but when I see my number drop that drastically, it makes me anxious to see what my body fat % and inches look like next Monday. As a reward, for myself, I got these shoes made (Yes, they say "BUILD ROME") and let them sit in my closet until I hit my weight loss goal. Don't get me wrong, I believe that everything is better in moderation but a cheat meal isn't the only form of rewarding yourself. 

These shoes were kind of pricey (or should I say, much more than I'd normally pay for sneakers) but it can be anything you want. A friend of mine set her goal and as a reward for hitting it, got a new iPod shuffle to use just for running because her iPhone would sometimes be dead by the time she got to the gym in the evening. Whatever it is, make sure you reward yourself! And if that reward inspires/motivates you to stay on track for your fitness goal(s), EVEN BETTER!

Anyways, I just waned to check in and let you all know that I'm still here and sticking with it. Thank you to everyone who posts #BuildingRome on random fitness pics. I search that hashtag all the time so keep it up! How have your personal challenges been? Anyone else notice how thin the crowd at the gym has gotten lately? No worries, more weights for us! :-)

T25 Alpha Review and Progress

Tomorrow morning, I'm starting T25 Beta so I figured I'd check in with you all and also let you know what I thought about each video in the Alpha round. 

So I've been pretty consistent doing the videos in the mornings and I think that has definitely helped. Sometimes, I've had to do it in the afternoons or even evenings and I feel like my energy levels are significantly lower. Ah well, here goes:

Cardio
This workout definitely focused on the gradual build up. It started slow but by the end, my calves were on fire and it was pretty much an entire lower body focus. There were some core moves but it definitely got tough in the BurnOut section.

Ab Intervals
I think this is a workout that could've been added in more frequently. If you're familiar with P90X's Ab Ripper X, you'll enjoy this 25 minute ab focused video. The best part to me was that it also worked your back. Yeah! Your back is an important part of your core and this workout was great!

Speed 1.0
Probably the video that required the most coordination and balance. Some parts of it were very "dance like" but I didn't mind because it really made me focus on my form for every move. Fortunately, there were lots of stretches that gave you that break from the constant moving.

Lower Focus
The title of this one is a dead giveaway for what you're in for. Lots of quad and hamstring work. Since these are such large muscles, I definitely saw that I burned more calories and sweat like crazy!

Total Body Circuit
Holy shoulder burn! This is the only video in the first set that had a legitimate upper body focus. It was the hardest video (for me) but definitely my favorite. With exercises moves like Shoulder-Tap Push-Ups and 180 degree squat jumps into burpees. 

So for the results... I lost 7lbs on the scale! I'm not sure how that breaks down into pounds of fat vs. pounds of muscle but I'm looking for 8-12 pounds during the Beta round. If you're doing T25, comment and let me know how it's going for you! What should I be prepared for? What is your favorite workout?

February Challenge: "Healthy Habits"

So...after talking with my wife, who's in charge of the grocery shopping/budgeting, we decided that instead of having a paleo day followed by a vegetarian day, and so on...that it would be better to do full weeks with a single healthy habit theme. So here's the NEW and improved challenge for February! 

By going week-by-week, we think that'll allow us to have the right (fresh) food in our fridge each week. With week 1 being Paleo, I don't have to adjust much. I got the premise of my Paleo week from thepaleodiet.com. The no-dairy will be tough because I normally use that as the base for my protein but I guess I'll be using water this week. Every Wednesday of the month, will be a "day off" from the week's challenge. Instead, on that day, I'll be focusing on cutting out all the non-water. I'll still be eating food but I'll be sure to cut out artificial fruit juice, coffee, alcohol, etc. Each week, I'll be recapping my previous week and giving my thoughts on the coming week. 

I'm really focused on adding more cardio to my fitness plan and I think that controlling what I put in my body will help fuel my transformation and move me along my journey to a healthier lifestyle. I know some may view this as a temporary diet and I can understand why. The goal for me is to move towards something that is closer to these healthier lifestyles but I don't know what that looks like yet. So in the mean time, I'll be trying new recipes and things to keep my palate interested and my body guessing! 

FEEL FREE TO JOIN now that you have the calendar! I'd love to hear from people who live a Paleo/Vegetarian/Gluten-free life! If you have recipes or suggestions, please comment below :-) As a check-in for those of you who've been keeping up, I lost 7lbs. in January and dropped my body fat by 3%. I'm hoping for 2-2.5% decrease in my body fat this month so I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the support and good luck on all of your fitness goals as well!! #BuildBabyBuild

How I dropped 3% Body fat in 6 weeks!

I guess I should start with these results are not typical and consult your doctor or physician before beginning a workout program...

Now that I got that out of the way, it's been very difficult! I'd be lying if I said that I never got frustrated when I got on the scale or REALLLLYYYY wanted a cheat meal but never actually ate one. The fact of the matter is that the progress that I've seen in these 6 weeks has been a result of several things. Here's what I'd attribute it to:

1) Consistency in the Kitchen - I've posted about it before but my wife and I meal plan weekly so that we can get a good idea of what we need to buy at the grocery store. I know a lot of people think that meal planning equals chicken breast and broccoli EVERYDAY! And, to be honest, for some people, that may be the case. For us, it just helps us make the best food choices given our schedules, our budget, and our fitness goals. We allow room in our weekly meal plan for meals out or days that we don't take lunch. At the end of the day, it's flexible but it is at least a guide line for us to try to make good nutritional choices.

2) Dedication to the Dumbbells - The first thing people think of when they want to lose weight is cutting out all the carbs in their diet. The second thing is increasing cardio (I'll address this later) and putting the weights down. Staying dedicated to weight training definitely helped me maintain my muscle mass and I can tell I'm getting stronger. Even though I didn't put on the amount of lean mass that I wanted, I can tell that I FEEL different. The way my clothes fit, the muscle memory from the movements...all of that! It's a great feeling!

3) Cranking up the Cardio - Now, I know that there are runners and then there are the rest of us. I think I can speak for the rest of us when I say, it's hard to stare at yourself in the mirror when you're doing cardio in 20 degree weather. Honestly, if we burned as many calories tweeting, taking Instagram pics, or watching our biceps in the mirror as we do from running 10 40-yard sprints, we'd ALL be in better shape! I have NEVER liked running but I don't mind moving so for cardio I do 9Round Kickboxing, T25, Insanity, Circuit Training, or HIIT. All of these are ways to get your heart rate up and burn some more calories. If you're not at that fitness level yet, the elliptical is still one of my go-to's. It's a low-impact cardio life-saver that I use weekly!

4) Everything in Moderation (sorry I couldn't come up with any alliteration for this one) - One thing that I've learned is that I can't beat myself up when I give myself a cheat meal or when something comes up and I can't go to the gym like I planned. Contrary to all the pages I follow on Instagram, I have ZERO desire to be a fitness model/bodybuilder. That being said, I know that one of the biggest reasons I've seen progress lately is that I've been able to have more balance in everything. School, work, church, gym, down-time, etc. Being able to understand what's really important in life can help put things in perspective. Now, does that mean I have a week's worth of cheat meals? Absolutely not! However, I do know that once I have my meal, I enjoy it, I don't wallow in guilt but I do make sure I hit the gym hard on my next go around. 

So...that's it! That's how I've managed to be down in the first month of my attempt to Build Rome! We'll see what the numbers say in 4 more weeks but until then, keep making forward steps!