Project Ripped

After waking up this morning I went out for a cycle on the road bike. I followed my usual 15 mile route and it took me exactly an hour (to the second). The second half of the cycle was extremely difficult as it was in to a head wind. My legs were fairly tired and the extra resistance of the wind was not that welcome. Having said that there could be a head wind on the ‘End to End’ mountain bike challenge.

This evening is my abdominal exercise evening and I am now up to 19 reps per exercise. Once I get to 20 reps it is time to change the routine again. I was looking on the internet and there seems to be no shortage of abdominal exercises. I would welcome recommendations from fellow shredders.

I was looking a bit closer at my waist and was thinking just how lop-sided it looks. I am still not sure what the bulge is on my left (picture right) hand side is. I am sure it is probably just a lot of very stubborn fat that has been there for a long time. Although I want the ‘ripped’ look I really, really want rid of these ‘handles’ on my waist.

I was reading about Michael Phelps diet today. He doesn’t ‘eat clean’ and consumes 10,000 calories per day. But there again he must train extremely hard in the swimming pool, and he is nearly a whole foot taller and a lot more muscular than I am. You can read the story here.

Tomorrow is an active rest day as I am planning on going out for a longer mountain bike ride on Sunday.

If any of the raw food eaters wants to visit my Giveittomeraw.com page then please click here. You may even want to join yourself – don’t forget to add me as a friend.

Oh, and remember the good night’s sleep I was after? Well, the older daughter woke up last night with bad dreams at 1:45 am. Thankfully, my wife dealt with this one and it didn’t keep me awake all night.

At 3:00 am this morning I was awoken by our youngest daughter who needed the toilet. Once I had put her back to bed I couldn’t get back to sleep. So, I went down stairs and watched some of the Olympic swimming events. Every one of the swimmers seemed so lean and muscular. By about 7:30 am I was tired again so I went back to bed for a few hours. This broken sleep pattern then affected my energy for the rest of the day.

This afternoon I went for a run. I really like the Nike+ and iPod combination. The instant feedback of progress is quite motivating. I am really pleased as today, my fourth run, I managed to run the whole 2 miles without a break. This is the best progress I have ever made running. I did have a stitch in my side early on, which stuck with me, but I ran through the pain and completed the 2 miles in my fastest time yet (as there was no walking!). Running is looking promising and I guess that after a few more steady 2 mile runs I may be ready to increase my distance and change to a more interesting route.

Not long after completing the run I did my resistance training on the Bowflex. My theory is that my body is nice and warmed up from the run so the training should go well. I thought it was a good session. I can’t believe how hot and sweaty I got today. I don’t normally sweat a lot but these runs have caused me to sweat like never before. This carried on in to the resistance session and I was completely drained by the end.

I finished with a big fruit smoothie with some protein powder, glutamine, maca and lots of fresh berries from the garden.

I need a good sleep tonight so I hope there are no interruptions this time.

Just a bit of fun from the guys at JibJab.

I want to thank Larry for his question to me yesterday.

Before starting this project I had thought about doing it many times before over the last couple of years and considered what some of the problems or success factors might be. One of the major hurdles to overcome is the seasonal and work-oriented issues.

On the Isle of Man we are quite northerly (approx. 54 degrees North) and have long daylight in the Summer months and very little in the miserable Winter. To give you an idea how for North we are, we are level with the northern tip of the Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. We are further north than most of the population in Canada.

So seasons play a big part in how we live life on the Isle of Man. During the winter months it is dark when we go to work and it is dark when we come home from work. In the Summer it can be light the whole time I am awake. I think the sun rises at some crazy time such as 4:20 am. but I am not around to see it.

I knew that exercise would play a big part in this project and many times I have started an exercise programme towards the end of the Summer and failed as the  weather turns bad and the daylight fades away. I knew that to give me the best possible chance I had to start at the end of Spring or beginning of the Summer. Any progress made would then carry me forward in to the Autumn/Winter months.

The first five weeks of my project I was at work as a high school teacher. I managed to fit in my 15 minutes of morning exercise every day and completed a resistance exercise workout in  my garage 3 evenings a week. Once I finished work for the Summer break I found something I hadn’t planned. My extra freedom of time has allowed me to take part in some more enduring exercise but it has also tired me out more than the shorter and regular exercise I had done during the first 6 weeks. For example, today I felt unable to do any exercise. My body is tired and I have slept during the day. I have had to put in another unplanned rest day. The rest isn’t doing me any harm – after all it is during rest that our bodies adapt, not during the exercise.

When I go back to school four things will happen:

• A couple of weeks into the term will be the End to End mountain bike challenge. Once this is over my desire for long distance cycling will diminish until next spring.
• I will find myself following a routine similar to my first 6 weeks as I will be unable to just go off and cycle for a couple of hours during the day.
• The nights will start to draw in and I may only be able to do outdoor activities such as running and cycling at the weekend. There isn’t a lot of street lighting in the countryside where I live.
• I may start cycling to work a few times per week. I did cycle to work twice per week last September and October. It is 10 miles each way and the biggest issues was cooling down once at work enough to be able to carry on as normal. The route is a very hilly 10 miles with at least 3 big climbs. Cycling in the dark can be a bit ‘hairy’ also as there is no street lighting on the route.

I think that I can progress quite easily on the exercise programme I started out on. In a way I have spoiled the routine this Summer by going for long cycles and introducing some runs. However, my fitness levels have increased incredibly and I really do want to have a go at completing the mountain bike challenge in September.

The challenge I see ahead of me is really going to be during the later stages of Phase 2. Phase 1 finishes mid-September and Phase 2 will finish around the end of December. In December my garage is going to be freezing (sub-zero temperatures) in the mornings and the house will be cold when I wake up. My early morning 15 minutes of exercise will not be as enjoyable and the resistance training may require a lot of warm-up prior to entering the garage. I am hoping that the fitness gains I have made of Phase 1 will carry me forward in to Phase 2 and that I will enjoy the exercise more. It should be easier and more fulfilling.

From a fat loss point of view I am pretty sure that if I stick to my predominantly raw diet my body fat will slowly disappear. I am sure that time will tell.

Thanks again Larry.

This morning I looked out of the window and it was pouring with rain. I don’t know where our Summer has gone to but I know that I haven’t had to water our vegetable patch since May!

I had planned a long ride but thought I would hold off and see what the weather did.

Eventually the rain stopped early evening and I managed to get out about 6:00 pm. and cycled to Ramsey, along the coast road to Bride and then back to Ballaugh via Jurby and The Cronk. This route is 22 miles and it took me exactly 1:20 hours. I was pleased with this time. The route is fairly flat with a few small hills and the last third was in to a head wind which made it quite tough. 

Tomorrow is resistance exercise day and I would like to get in a run also. For the remainder of Phase 1 I am going to try and run on the resistance training day, although when I am away on holiday next week I may have to modify my programme slightly to take advantage of what is available locally.

One of the greatest things I have noticed about the past 7 weeks in the improvement in my immune system. I used to catch every sore throat going and each one would last about a week. The sore throat I had yesterday has gone today – it lasted only one day.

First thing this morning I spent 15 minutes on the Concept 2 rowing machine. I felt quite good today so started with a relatively fast pace and managed a new personal best covering 3350 metres. One day I would like to have a go at a few shorter sprint sessions on the Concept 2 to see how I get on. My body type favours the shorter and faster events but my initial fat loss favours the endurance.

This evening is abdominal training and I am now on 18 reps per exercise for the six abdominal exercises. This round of abdominal exercises is a lot more difficult than the first round. I can feel my abdominals getting stronger but feel I still have a long way to go to get a flat and developed set of abs. I think one of the limiting factors in using my abdominals is the tightness in my hamstrings. Any attempt to draw my legs upwards is not only a fight against gravity but a battle against the tightness and short range of movement in my legs.

My Mum and my niece and nephew have come to stay for the week. It is really good having them around. Hopefully, if the weather is nice, we will get out and about over the next few days and may spend a day at the beach.

I feel I should do another long cycle tomorrow if I am to build my endurance for the ‘End to End’ mountain bike challenge which is now only about 5 weeks away.

This week is a good example of why weighing ourselves isn’t always a reliable measure of progress. When I hit the scales this morning I was really disappointed as I weighed the same as I did last week. However, when I started taking body fat pinches, measuring body parts, etc. it was clear that my body fat percentage was still going down. So I had lost fat and gained lean body mass at the same time.

This week my key statistics are:

• Weight: 12 st. 12.5 lbs. (180.5 lbs.) – exactly the same as last week
• Body fat thigh pinch reduction of 4mm (22mm down to 18mm)
• Body fat chest pinch reduction of 2mm (25mm down to 23mm)
• Body fat: 23.75% (down from 25.3% last week)
• Waist reduction of 0.5 inches from both navel and belt.
• Lean mass increase of 2.8 pounds and a fat loss of 2.8 pounds

I can believe the fat loss of 2.8 pounds as I have been consistently losing fat every week. I don’t believe that I have added 2.8 pounds of muscle though. What I think has happened is that as I have been ‘taxed’ by my runs this week I haven’t been doing 15 minutes of exercise each morning and I haven’t done a full week or resistance exercise either. This has given my muscles a chance to ‘recover’ and to take on some glycogen, which in turn requires water, and my muscles are heavier due to them being more full of energy.

After a full week of exercise I would expect a lot of this ‘additional’ lean weight to reduce as the muscles once again run out of energy and, combined with the low calorie diet, don’t get full again. I don’t want to perpetually live in a state of low energy in the muscles but as part of losing body fat it seems to be working right now. I look forward to being able to fill my muscles with energy again once I get to single digit body fat percentage.

I was right about listening to my body yesterday as I have woken up with a sore throat this morning. My body must have known it under attack and prevented me from draining its resources.

Late afternoon I went for my third run. I was pleased that I was able to run the whole mile of the old railway track in one direction, walk for a minute or so, and then run the whole way back again. So I managed to do the run in two goes rather than the seven or eight that it took me last time. I was running a bit slower today which may have contributed to the greater endurance. While I was running I remembered reading ‘Slow Burn’ by Stu Mittleman a year ago and he said that in order run long endurance he needs to run at a pace he can sustain indefinitely. I know two miles is hardly indefinitely but it is a long way for me right now.

After the run I went on the Bowflex for a resistance workout. I still don’t feel as strong as I did. I need to find out why this is but when I start a new cycle of training I think I will lower the weights and start working up from there again. I was making great progress over the first 6 weeks and the progress appears to have stopped.

Once again I am pleased with the reduction in my torso when viewed from the side. I think I am starting to look quite different now. There are lots of little subtle changes that make me smile. Looking at this photograph is going to be the once that keeps me going to the end of the project.

Although I still have big bulges at the sides my posture looks a whole lot more comfortable now. There is something more ‘balanced’ about the picture on the right.

My back looks a completely different shape also. The skin tone looks improved and the whole shape of the upper back and shoulders look leaner and more balanced.

I am not trying to kid myself. I know I still have a long way to go to get to a single digit body fat percentage. It isn’t going to happen in Phase 1 but will almost certainly happen in Phase 2.

When challenged with the two options of losing fat or building muscle I must remind myself that Phase 1 and Phase 2 are all about losing fat. I need to keep what little muscle I already have but LOSING FAT is the priority. Once I have achieved the ripped look I can then eat and train to gain additional muscle.

Health is the primary aim of this project so losing fat and eating healthily has to be a priority.

One of the things I told myself before I started this project was to listen to my body. Today it didn’t want to exercise. I had planned to do two things today but by the time I got around doing the exercise my body gave me signs that it wasn’t ready to do anything. So I will have a break from exercise today and give my body some well-earned rest. I have felt tired today and need an early night tonight.

It didn’t stop me from eating well. It is weigh-in tomorrow and I don’t expect to have made progress like I have the previous weeks but I would still like to see some weight/fat loss.

For some reason I was extremely stiff when I woke up today. I wasn’t sore in any way but just felt ‘rigid’ in the legs, hips and back. I spent 10 to 15 minutes warming up my body and stretching my muscles and after that I felt ready to take on the day.

After having a lemonade smoothie I set off for a cycle around part of the TT course. This is the same road cycle I did 12 days ago with a gruelling climb up ‘the mountain’. I managed to complete the 25 mile circuit in 1:49 hours, 2 minutes quicker than Day 36. I was pleased with this ride because the climb up the steep hill, which is a continuous 28 minute climb, felt a lot more comfortable than last time. Last time it was hard!!

I was passed by an experienced racing cyclist and it was a bit demotivating to see him pass me with such ease and cycle off in to the distance so rapidly. I have to console myself that he was younger than I was, considerably lighter than I was, had a better bike than I had and had probably cycled this hill a couple of hundred times while this is only my second attempt.

I watched part of the Olympic Games opening ceremony this afternoon and was amazed at the scale of what the Chinese had put on. I was super impressed with the large screen that runs around the inside perimeter of the roof. I am looking forward to watching some of the key events over the next fortnight, although the time difference between Beijing and here may mean I miss some of the events ‘live’.

I tried some of the raw cakes I had made today. I made Wooshjacks and Chocolate Brownie cake. They are made with superfoods and 100% raw ingredients and are so rich that you only need eat a small amount to feel satisfied. It is strange that there is more nutrition in these ‘cakes’ than most people get in a traditional meal. While I have no longer have a desire to eat chocolate these cakes certainly add tasty variety to a raw diet.

I was pleasantly surprised not to have DOMS in my legs this morning after yesterday’s run. All of the warming up, stretching and the hot bath must have had a positive effect. I would be lying to say I didn’t feel anything. There is a little soreness in my thighs and shin muscles but nothing worth mentioning.

Yesterday was quite an active day – cross trainer in the morning, run in the afternoon and resistance training in the evening. I am worried that I am close to over-training so have done no aerobic exercise today.  I want to go for a longer ride tomorrow and with my legs feeling quite tired today I think they need an extra day to recover.

I am not sure if I am eating enough calories. I was surprised to lose so much weight last week and perhaps eating a bit more would give my legs a little more energy. Mentally I feel I have enough energy. Although I would like to lose my fat as fast as possible I see this as a long-term and permanent activity so I would prefer to slow things down a little bit if it gave me more energy to build my fitness. I am not counting calories and by eating raw food realise that I am probably eating a lot less than the recommended amount. But I am not hungry and I feel constantly satisfied.

Abdominal training as normal tonight and I am now up to 17 reps per exercise for six exercises.