I’ve been on this journey for 4 months and beginning to understand that to see real results, you need to be dedicated and have a structured program. I just read someone’s blog and he was saying that he strength trains 4-5 times a week, does cardio 4-5 times a week, counts his calories, but in the past month gained x lbs of fat and lost x lbs of muscle. He, like myself is wondering, what am I doing wrong. I may not be to the point where I am wondering what I am doing wrong, but more so am under the realization that if I want to see dramatic results, I need to take this thing up a notch.
My 2 month progress shots show the greatest fat loss. That was when I was training for my 10K. One month later, I can see fat gains. I still do cardio, but not to the extent I was while training for the 10K. During that timeframe (Oct / Nov) I was doing sprints, long fun runs, HIIT, medium paced short runs to prepare and it showed. Now I am back into the more comfortable cardio (20-30 minutes of HIIT - usually on a treadmill or elliptical). And it shows. I have an endomorph (?sp) frame, where I gain muscle easily, but have a difficult time keeping fat off.
On a positive note, I do notice a slow increase in muscle, especially around my shoulders. I have been targeting my shoulders and back by working them separately. My legs have never really been a problem for me, except for my calves. However, they are so far down on the list of things I need to improve that I will focus on them in the summer.
In conclusion, my message to all of the average guys / gals (myself included) who have started this journey is, if you want to see real results you have to get out of your comfort zone and push your body past its limits. Additionally, I have come to the conclusion that nutrition is 75% of the battle. If you don’t get that down, you can workout 4-5 times week, do cardio, etc. and will not see dramatic results.
I personally am going to go for it in 2008. I have worked out most of my life, but never took it seriously. I was like 90% of the people you typically see at the gym - working out year after year with little body changes. In 2008, I am going to attack the following (in order of importance):
1. Diet
2. Cardio
3. Muscle Development
I will let it all unfold on BB.com to determine whether my theory is correct.
Happy Holidays,
ER
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