Hey everyone! Since about the end of January I've started working out again in hopes of losing weight for a relative's wedding in May (gained some winter weight as a result of being sick for a few months, but I'm doing much better health wise!). And if you're wondering, I already bought a dress! (part of the bridal party) Cost me $150 bucks for a dress I'll only wear once! Anyway, my goal isn't going to stop there; this is just a short term goal! I understand body composition is important, and my clothes do fit looser, but it's demotivating to step on a scale just to see the same number every week! So here goes... I think 15 lbs in 2 months is definitely an attainable goal if I work my ass off . My workout regime includes weights on M,W,F and at least 2 days of cardio. I'm following Stronglifts 5x5 program for lifting, and my cardio is a mix of plyo/complex training. Any advice how to modify my workout for maximum results is appreciated!!! This is what my schedule looks like: Monday Squats 5x5 @ 110lbs Deads 1x5 @ 135lbs Overhead Press 5x5 @ 45lbs Dumbbell Squats 3 sets w/20lb dumbbell 15-20 minutes High Octane training. Jogging on the treadmill on 10 incline for 1 minute, 10 dumbbell swings, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell snatches with each arm, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell cleans with each arm. Rinse and repeat. This results in about 6 dumbbell drills. Tuesday m100s - 3 sets - 10 reps squat thrusts, 10 reps mountain climbers, 10 reps squat jumps Dumbbell squats 3 sets - 10 reps w/20lb dumbbell followed by 10 half burpees Firehydrant to kick out - 3 sets, 15 reps 3 sets - Spiderman exercise, towel sit ups, floor towel pull-ups (vid on youtube but I can't post it ) 15-20 minutes High Octane training. Jogging on the treadmill on 10 incline for 1 minute, 10 dumbbell swings, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell snatches with each arm, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell cleans with each arm. This results in about 6 dumbbell drills. Wednesday Squats 5x5 @ 110lbs Bench 5x5 @ 60lbs (arms are weaksauce!) Barbell rows 5x5 @ 65 lbs Dumbbell squats 3 sets - 10 reps w/20lb dumbbell 2 sets of each plank exercise: Twist Plank - 10 reps Stacker Plank - 10 reps Tricep Kickback Plank - 10 reps with each arm Push/Pull Plank - 10 reps with each arm Spiderman Plank - 10 reps 15-20 minutes High Octane training. Jogging on the treadmill on 10 incline for 1 minute, 10 dumbbell swings, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell snatches with each arm, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell cleans with each arm. Rinse and repeat. Thursday rest Friday Squats 5x5 @ 110lbs Deads 1x5 @ 135lbs Overhead Press 5x5 @ 45lbs Dumbbell Squats 3 sets w/20lb dumbbell 15-20 minutes High Octane training. Jogging on the treadmill on 10 incline for 1 minute, 10 dumbbell swings, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell snatches with each arm, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell cleans with each arm. Rinse and repeat. This results in about 6 dumbbell drills. Saturday m100s - 3 sets - 10 reps squat thrusts, 10 reps mountain climbers, 10 reps squat jumps Dumbbell squats 3 sets - 10 reps w/20lb dumbbell Alternating Jumping Lunges - 3 sets until failure Side lunge with Plyo Lateral Jump - 3 sets as much as I can do for about 1-2 mins 15-20 minutes High Octane training. Jogging on the treadmill on 10 incline for 1 minute, 10 dumbbell swings, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell snatches with each arm, 1 minute jogging, 10 dumbbell cleans with each arm. Rinse and repeat. Sunday rest ! ------------ Meal Plan ------------ I typically eat the same thing M-F. Some days I'll eat chicken, other days fish. An example of my meal: Breakfast 1 slice light Italian/Multi-grain bread 2 whole eggs 4 slices 95% FF smoked shaved ham 1 slice fat free cheese (Borden's Pepperjack FF Cheese is decent and doesn't take like rubber like most FF cheese!) Lunch Plain Greek Yogurt. 1 packet sweetleaf sweetner and 1 tablespoon of natty peanut butter mixed in Snack Protein cookie: 1/2 scoop of Choc/PB whey protein powder, 2 packets of sweetleaf, vanilla extract, 1 tblspoon of BestLife buttery spread, water. Mic for 30-40 seconds! On my lift days I might have a banana as well. Dinner 2 tilapia fish fillets baked in lemon garlic sauce 1/2 bag of steam veggies 1-2 tblespoon of parmesan cheese Plain Greek Yogurt. 1 packet sweetleaf sweetner and 1 tablespoon of natty peanut butter mixed in
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! Kind of late, didn't critique your diet or work out. Sure 1 of my fellow pro members will. Either way excellent job with going forward to lose weight. You will always hear ignore the scale watch the mirror.
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! Generally I would advise against the- low rep- weight lifting activities. If this has worked for you in the past, I say to roll with it. You seem to be very motivated and well organized! You will most certainly see benefits from this type of training but I don't know that you will lose as much as you want to. I'm not trying to be a naysayer but traditional weight loss goals should be roughly 5 pounds a month. I do look forward to hearing how things are going for you though!
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! Thanks for the advice, Ax! Can you clarify on what you mean by "low reps"? The Stronglifts program, dumbbell squats, or the dumbbell regimen that is included in my jogging? As in I should cut out stuff? I've been doing SL for about a month now and love the feeling of getting stronger, although I'm not sure if lifting heavy is inhibiting my weight loss? I'm up for changing things and shocking my body to burn more fat! And yeah, I agree 15lbs is setting the bar pretty high, but I'm motivated by the urgency of this wedding since there will be people there that I haven't seen in years! I want to look good, but more importantly, feel my best! I'll be sure to update this (may even post progress pics if I'm feeling courageous!) and check back on a regular basis! --------- Meal (so far) --------- Breakfast 1 slice light Italian/Multi-grain bread 2 whole eggs 2 slices 95% fat free ham 1/2 cup FF shredded cheddar cheese Lunch Plain greek yogurt. 1 packet sweetleaf sweetner. 1 tblespoon natty pb mixed in 1 banana Post workout meal 4 oz chicken 1/4 cup FF mozz cheese 1/2 bag steamed veggies 1 (dry) cup red potato wedges Protein cookie: 1/2 scoop choc/PB whey protein, 1 tblespn BestLife buttery spread, cinnamon, sprinkle of salt, 2 packets sweetleaf, water. Mic for 1:00 minute. 1 tablespoon melted natty pb on top, tblspoon of fat free whipped topping, and cinnamon!
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! Generally speaking when trying to lose wait you should aim for 8+ reps on your exercises. I would suggest 10-12 preferably. The general consensus is that 5-8 reps is more for strength and power. Also, try to aim for 30 seconds max in between sets. Doing this will in turn keep your heart rate up and keep you hopefully in the fat burning mode. Although cardiovascular workouts are superior in dropping weights, I absolutely love that you have added in strength building exercise! The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is. A higher metabolism means you burns more calories even just sitting around! Some of my favorite exercises for this are -Squats, Lunges, deadlifts,box jumps, pull ups, flat and incline dumbell press, and bent over rows. Large muscle group exercises! Another key thing that I learned from an Exercise Physiologist, is that you really need to pay attention to your heart rate while burning fat. You truly want to stay in the fat burning range rather than the cardiovascular range. I would suggest googling "fat burning heart rate" and find the range for your specific age and gender. The basic principal here is that unlike traditional logic which tells you that if you work harder you get better results, this has you exerting less energy overall but you extend the workout time. For instance- Instead of running for 20 minutes at high intensity, jog slowly for an hour. One thing that is highly overlooked when working out is your enjoyment factor. If you LOVE doing yoga, then do it! If you love racquetball,dance, or whatever, DO IT! You are much more likely to keep going to the gym if you are doing things you love! The majority of the NEW YEARS resolution crowd die out because they HATE the exercise programs they try to do. MOTIVATION is key! Keep it up!
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! A few questions for ya... Can I still train on SL doing 10-12 reps instead of 5x5 using my max? Is this correct? Is it advisable to be doing 10-12 deadlifts at lower weights? Should I drop SL and look into other forms of strength building exercises? I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, because I appreciate all the replies! But, I can't stand 40 minutes of jogging slowly - it's something I know I will NOT be able to stick to, which is why I opted for approximately 20 min of higher intensity workouts. I googled fat burning heart rate and it says I should stay within 60-70% for fat loss (aerobic) and 80% for interval training. Does that mean doing HIIT/HOT is counterintuitive to my goals??? Thanks for the encouraging words!!! Needed that especially after a ****ty work day!
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! Friday Workout Squats 5x5 @ 116 lbs Deads 1x5 @ 135 lbs OP 5x5 @ 45 lbs Dumbbell squats 3 sets w/20 dumbbell Knee push ups - 3 sets until failure 20 minutes High Octane training Great workout today! Feels really good knowing my squat went up! Only 6 lbs, but I've got to take the small victories when they come. Push ups definitely need improvement. Grrr, damn these weak arms!
15 lbs in 2 months!! Let's go!! I would definitely stick to that program and use a higher rep range with a lower weight. The exercises that program seems to be spot on. Very intense! Be careful of what weight you are using though. If you are not completely used to these exercises, going too heavy could cause an injury and cause you to miss your goal. This is also another reason why i would suggest going for more repetitions=less likelihood of injury. However, don't go so light that it is not a struggle. A lot of women make this mistake but judging from the weight you have been lifting, that is definitely not your problem. I will post a more in depth about the cardiovascular range vs fat burning range in the next couple days when I have a bit more time. I work some absurd hours during the weekend. Great job and keep us up to date on your progress!
