Beck Ends Week III: On Track on All Fronts
Beck ended week III weighing in on Monday - we always weigh in on Monday to include any weekend binges. He weighed in at 224.5, exactly on track. He had dropped as low as 222.6 during the week at which point I suggested he increase protein calories. I did not want him to make the rookie mistake of losing too much weight too fast. Our preordained goal was to whittle off two pounds per week for ten straight weeks. Experience has shown that for a 200 pound man to lose at a faster rate, causes muscle tissue to be lost during the process.
Have you ever wondered why the obese crash dieter ends up (still) fat and flabby - still skinny-fat despite losing 40 to 100 pounds of bodyweight? The crash dieter has lost as much or more muscle as fat. Elite bodybuilders, the world's most effective dieters, have discovered that slow, steady reductions in body weight allow the dieter to lose fat while "sparing" muscle tissue. In three weeks Beck has lost six pounds; our overall plan was to par off 20 pounds in 10 weeks. This does not take into account a five to eight pound "muscle acquisition" that will occur during the ten week timeframe. Put differently, over the ten week period, Beck will actually lose 25 pounds of body fat while adding five pounds of muscle resulting in the bathroom digital scale registering a 20 pound reduction in body weight.
Weight training: Being Purposeful Primitives, we believe in doing fewer things better. His thrice weekly training regimen consists of three exercises: the plate squat, the pause bench press and the Sumo deadlift. In the plate squat (grasp a barbell plate to the chest) Beck hit three sets of 12 reps holding a 35 pound plate. He squat down deep, all the way down, he pauses a beat before pushing upward. The critical technical point is to not allow the hips to rise during the difficult upward push. In the bench press Beck made three sets of 12 in the paused dumbbell bench press with a pair of 35s and in the Sumo deadlift shifted from a 56 pound kettlebell to a 135 pound barbell. He successfully managed two sets of five reps in the deadlift. Over the next few weeks we will push that up to three sets of 12 reps with 135. He hit every preordained weight training rep and poundage goal.
Cardiovascular Training: Being an overweight 59 year old, brisk walking around his neighborhood is more than enough to goose Beck's heart rate to 70% +. So why make him jog or run or engage in other aerobic modes? Beck was able to walk six times for 30 minutes and generated a six-session blended average of 74%. For the second week in a row Beck generated a higher heart rate (77.2%) during his three 30-minute weight workouts than while walking. Beck walks for 30 minutes in the morning before breakfast, as this timing tactic accelerates fat-burning. He hit every preordained cardio goal.
Nutrition: As we mentioned last week, Beck's "significant other" is an expert cook. Beck had a great eating week. This was evidenced by the fact that I actually had to advise him to eat more lean protein midweek because he was losing weight too fast. By increasing lean protein intake muscle is feed instead of starved. Our goal is to lose body fat not body weight. I would give him an A+ on this week's eating. Best of all, when I quizzed him he indicated that the process was "effortless." The weight training was fun and challenging, the cardio invigorating and the foods consumed delicious.
Onward!
Beck ended week III weighing in on Monday - we always weigh in on Monday to include any weekend binges. He weighed in at 224.5, exactly on track. He had dropped as low as 222.6 during the week at which point I suggested he increase protein calories. I did not want him to make the rookie mistake of losing too much weight too fast. Our preordained goal was to whittle off two pounds per week for ten straight weeks. Experience has shown that for a 200 pound man to lose at a faster rate, causes muscle tissue to be lost during the process.
Have you ever wondered why the obese crash dieter ends up (still) fat and flabby - still skinny-fat despite losing 40 to 100 pounds of bodyweight? The crash dieter has lost as much or more muscle as fat. Elite bodybuilders, the world's most effective dieters, have discovered that slow, steady reductions in body weight allow the dieter to lose fat while "sparing" muscle tissue. In three weeks Beck has lost six pounds; our overall plan was to par off 20 pounds in 10 weeks. This does not take into account a five to eight pound "muscle acquisition" that will occur during the ten week timeframe. Put differently, over the ten week period, Beck will actually lose 25 pounds of body fat while adding five pounds of muscle resulting in the bathroom digital scale registering a 20 pound reduction in body weight.
Weight training: Being Purposeful Primitives, we believe in doing fewer things better. His thrice weekly training regimen consists of three exercises: the plate squat, the pause bench press and the Sumo deadlift. In the plate squat (grasp a barbell plate to the chest) Beck hit three sets of 12 reps holding a 35 pound plate. He squat down deep, all the way down, he pauses a beat before pushing upward. The critical technical point is to not allow the hips to rise during the difficult upward push. In the bench press Beck made three sets of 12 in the paused dumbbell bench press with a pair of 35s and in the Sumo deadlift shifted from a 56 pound kettlebell to a 135 pound barbell. He successfully managed two sets of five reps in the deadlift. Over the next few weeks we will push that up to three sets of 12 reps with 135. He hit every preordained weight training rep and poundage goal.
Cardiovascular Training: Being an overweight 59 year old, brisk walking around his neighborhood is more than enough to goose Beck's heart rate to 70% +. So why make him jog or run or engage in other aerobic modes? Beck was able to walk six times for 30 minutes and generated a six-session blended average of 74%. For the second week in a row Beck generated a higher heart rate (77.2%) during his three 30-minute weight workouts than while walking. Beck walks for 30 minutes in the morning before breakfast, as this timing tactic accelerates fat-burning. He hit every preordained cardio goal.
Nutrition: As we mentioned last week, Beck's "significant other" is an expert cook. Beck had a great eating week. This was evidenced by the fact that I actually had to advise him to eat more lean protein midweek because he was losing weight too fast. By increasing lean protein intake muscle is feed instead of starved. Our goal is to lose body fat not body weight. I would give him an A+ on this week's eating. Best of all, when I quizzed him he indicated that the process was "effortless." The weight training was fun and challenging, the cardio invigorating and the foods consumed delicious.
Onward!
Hey my friend, this is good stuff.
I'm a big guy, not a tall guy but a big n' short guy who weighs in at around 200 pounds. (5'4 200 pounds) when I work really hard to shed fat my weight skyrockets, I get heavier but I fit into smaller sized clothes.
When I trained to take the RKC cert my wieght jumped by 17 pounds and I wans't entirely a doughboy. I had long enduring strength and incredible lung capacity. I was like an Ox sized gazelle.
You bring up a good point which was emphasized at the RKC certification, which I passed by the way, and the point was--it's not weight you need to lose, its fat that you need to lose.
In the process of losing fat you may get a little heavier.