So when I looked at my kettlebell swing form in the mirror after getting out of the shower (don't try to form too clear a picture in your head, and definitely don't ask why) and saw things jiggle that ought not to jiggle, I decided it was time to drop some body fat.
Not lose weight, mind you. You can chop off an arm and lose weight. I still want to be strong(ish) and I still want to look like I'm strong(ish), and that requires holding on to or even gaining muscle mass. That means staying far away from any starvation-based, macro-nutrient demonizing, Hollywood bimbo-endorsed "diet cleanse" that leaves you hungry and weak and requires you measure every seed in your tiny serving of watermelon so as not to go over your allotted food mass limit of the week.
For my fat-loss program to work, I need four things:
-Plenty of protein to maintain muscle mass
-A caloric deficit large enough to be effective but small enough to stay away from starvation mode
-Plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to keep me feeling good and healthy
-Some leeway to account for having a life outside of dieting.
This last one is what I thing breaks most people. In a bubble, I think most people have the willpower to see even a super-strict diet to its conclusion and see great results. But life...just, like, frickin' life man, it just gets in the way. Work gets overwhelming, your significant other wrecks your car, 30 Rock has its final season, and when your buddies invite you out to the bar Saturday night you just want to unwind and have like six plates of wings and a beer for each one and not have to explain why you're on a diet and only ordered water.
The other half of the equation is what happens in the gym. Nineteen protein shakes a day won't help you hold on to your precious muscle mass if you don't give said muscles a reason to exist. I firmly believe you should keep lifting heavy while dieting, and seek to at least maintain your strength levels while throwing in some conditioning work to burn more calories and increase your work capacity.
Here's the thing though: I hate training when I'm on a diet. My willpower is usually so sapped from denying myself food that I can't pony up the man juice to do that last set of heavy front squats. As a result, my workouts suffer and I don't do enough to elicit a training effect to hold onto what little mass I've worked so hard to get.
I need three things from a training program:
-Simplicity. I don't want to write an extravagant workout-to-end-all-workouts every time I lift, I just want to train and go home. Or more accurately, back to work, seeing as how I work in a gym.
-Rigidity. I need a plan on paper that I'm not allowed to deviate from, and that I must complete before I'm done.
-Intensity...sort of. I need weights that keep me strong without breaking me, and conditioning work that gasses me without obliterating me.
With that, and with not just a little inspiration from T-Nation, I've developed a four-week fat loss plan that is simple and has everything I require.
Nutrition
My diet, every single day, is:Breakfast
1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
Meal 2
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
1 serving of fruit
Meal 3
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 tbs peanut butter
1 serving of fruit
Meal 4
1.5 scoops protein powder
1 serving of canned vegetables
Meal 5
1.5 scoops of protein powder
1 serving of canned vegetables
Total Calories: ~1800
Protein: ~ 180 grams
Calories required for defecit: 2200
See that last part? I have 400 calories not included in my meal plan. Those go wherever, however I want them. Two slices of pizza at night? Go for it. A couple of brownies my roommate cooked up? Sure! Even -gasp- a beer or two after work? CRAZY! IRRESPONSIBLE! ....and allowed.
I try to eat a lot of colors and add spices here and there to make things bearable, but that's the entirety of my meal plan.
Training
Even simpler. The 10,000 Swing Kettlebell Workout, as prescribed by Dan John:
I chose this one for two reasons:
1. Dan John wrote it
2. See number 1
Okay, a little more reasoning:
I am a big fan of kettlebell swings for conditioning. They gas you pretty quickly, they're easy to learn, and they work my favorite muscle group, the glutes. The workout also intersperses heavy strength movements into the mix, which I really like.
It's also tough, but doable. My first workout left me sweating like I haven't in months, but I didn't have the burning in my throat and the dizzying fatigue I remember from my Crossfit days. And something about the workout just...I don't know, felt right.
Starting video and photos
Here's a video of my fourth round of the workout:
And here are my starting photos:
I will try to update often, post about my progress and, above all, see this little experiment through to the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment