hk94

Sweet.... I think I'll make the jump on Saturday, which is the start of my workout week.

Hi all, I'm half a month through the "Rookie" level workout in the Rebel Fitness Guide, and I think I screwed up because it is entirely too easy for me. I can kick my ass by raising weights, but it still is a small number of exercises and a very small number of sets. I want to lose 25lbs, but I was far from sedentary when I started it. I really think that the "rookie" is for people who are just unfamiliar with working out, because it is so basic. Nonetheless, since I am half way through, I'm going to continue for the rest of workouts outlined on my spreadsheet until I level up to the Recruit, which really looks like it will be more of a challenge for me. My question/problem is this: the Rookie workout dictates a 90 second rate between each set. This seems like a ridiculously long time (I was lifting for 3-4 months before starting this program with only a 45-60 second rest). Is it absolutely necessary that I rest for 90 seconds? I like to maximize my time in the gym, and it seems that I spend a lot of time waiting after I have caught my breath and given my muscles a minute to rest. I also feel like a total jerk when I'm monopolizing equipment with such a long rest time, since my gym seems to think that only a single flat bench is all that is needed. I'd really like to drop the rest to 60 seconds, and then use the time savings on a better warm up (the Rookie warmup is also incredibly basic) or a proper cool down after the cardio session. Can someone who has gone through the RFG before give me advice?

Well I suck at life. I don't think I made progress towards any of my goals last week.

I have read a couple of books paleo but know better than to even give it a shot. Why put yourself in a position where you know you will fail? I *LIKE* dairy and some grains. And I can assure everyone, my fondness of dairy is not why I'm here. It's because I started eating processed crap. Cutting out the processed crap and the refined sugars is a cornerstone of any healthy diet. I don't have the desire to take it a step further and start eliminating food groups. I'm intelligent enough to know the cause and effect of what I do. If I eat a wheel of full fat cheddar cheese and wash it down with whole milk, I won't be happy with what happens to my body. Conversely eating a baked sweet potato with a spritz of lemon is not a bad thing at all, but some diets hold it on the same level as eating wonderbread (which I think may be the most unhealthy thing you can put in your body without thinking about it). Going to read about orthorexia nervosa..... sounds interesting

Since music is so personal, I'm not posting my playlist, but sharing my technique. There are a ton of articles out there that discuss how we tend to match our exertion to the beats per minute (BPM) of a song. I have an irregular heart rate, so it is even more important for me than it is for most people to stay within a targeted zone when I'm working out. Since most commercial heart rate monitors don't accurately report my heart rate, this is critical for me to use proper music to make sure I don't go above my max. Not to mention, my tastes are my tastes, and I want MY music playing while I workout and cannot be limited to a playlist of a couple dozen songs in the right BPM range. I have over 50,000 songs in my iTunes library (I'm a hoarder), and have used a variety of tools to capture the BPMs into the metadata. Alternatively, if your music tastes are mainstream, you can use the EchoNest service that has BPMs for a lot of music (just not the stuff I listen to). Now that I have BPMs for all my music, I create smart playlists within iTunes based on the BPM tag. I also add other criteria, like "haven't heard in X days" to keep my lists fresh. Music that is 90-110BPM is put into a list for stretching. 110-120BPM is my warm-up/cool-down playlist 120-140BPM is my weight lifting playlist 145-170BPM is my light cardio playlist 150-180BPM is my HIIT playlist If you aren't that OCD about your music and your playlists, the Cadence app for the iPhone (not sure about android) can use EchoNest ratings on your music and you can specify a specific BPM to play.

This is exactly why I won't go onto the Paleo diet, and I resist discussing it with people because some get downright religious about their diet choice. Plus, I don't want to live a life where things are forbidden. Everything in moderation, with consequences when I don't adhere to moderation, is what has worked for me thus far into my journey. It may be a longer journey and my results may not be as great as someone who is on a formal plan, but I'm good with that. My opinions: If it works for you, great! I don't like following anything that eliminates food groups, because I know that my eventual "crash" will be epic. It isn't rocket science, we all know what we SHOULDN'T be putting in our bodies No matter what the plan, find a way to hold yourself accountable.

Sparkling water was key for me giving up soft drinks 10 years ago. I do occassionally have one now, but it usually has some sort of booze mixed in The struggle I had was not the sweetness or the flavor, but the bubbles from the carbonation. I got myself a sodastream a couple of years ago, but instead of making my own soda, I just carbonate my own water. I'll throw limes, lemons, or cucumbers in there for added flavor. Good luck!

Wrapping up week one today, and am in great shape against all goals. Goal #1: have been working on building muscle for my lats and back, do have 2 sets of bent-over rows in my workout tomorrow. Think I can comfortably do 25# x 8, but my workout is calling for 2 sets of 15 reps, so I may start with 20# on the first set so I can get the full 15 in, and then go for broke on the second set. Goal #2: Had a small baked potato last night at 6:15pm. The shame. I'm at 75% of the goal for the week. Goal #3: Have been tracking like a fiend! Goal #4: Today's weight: 159.2 - I'm down 2lbs this week. Awesome!

You're doing good! I don't have the willpower to cut out the booze. I keep rationalizing by finding studies showing the health benefits! Everything in moderation. Keep it up!

Did pretty well yesterday, still on track for all the goals. Caloric intake was a little higher, but still a couple hundred below my BMR, so I should still be on track for weight loss. Workout: my own butt/thigh/hamstring bodyweight routine, 2 circuits, for a total of ~25 minutes. Estimated calorie burn of 150. My butt is sore this morning. Diet: Calories 1396 Protein 92g Carbs 103g Unsaturated Fat 35g Saturated Fat 16g Goal for today: reduce the carbs. I am going through my log and trying to figure out what bumped me so high. Must be the bowl of oatmeal I had for breakfast. I rarely eat it but felt I needed extra fuel after my workout.

I think we are in a similar boat - I have a background in endurance sports before I got fat, and had been lifting with a personal trainer for 4 months before buying the guide. I also feel I have a very good handle on nutrition, I just make poor choices because my will power is weak (plus wine is good). That being said, I'm using the RFG not as a teaching method, but really a framework that put everything together for me for workouts (I did not find the nutritional portions of the guide to be of any value, to be honest). Depending on your situation, $40 may be kind of expensive when you are just looking for a workout routine, but for me, it was totally worth it for the spreadsheets. I am a nerd about stats, and have used not having a good form for recording so I can go back and crunch numbers as an excuse not to workout. This is ready to go, on my dropbox drive so it is synced to all my smart devices (one of which I always have with me at the gym). One less excuse I can make. Again, not sure if I'm the right person to be talking about a guide or not, since I just got it, but I do feel really confident that the workouts included will challenge me in ways I wasn't able to do on my own.

Yesterday - work did prevent me from getting a workout in, but I stayed on track with eating (yay!). Only negatives - I took a piece of candy from the community bowl at work, and I had a glass of wine with dinner. Maybe next challenge my goal should be wine on the weekends only.

Just purchased the RFG this week with a primary goal of weight loss. I'm starting with the Rookie (Level 1) workouts, which is actually substantially fewer exercises and muscle groups than I was doing on my own. I have no doubt it will kick my butt and help me lose weight. It will help me with some core strength, which is a weakness. However, there are some muscle groups that are not even targeted during the progression from Level 1 to Level 4. If getting good muscle definition is a long term goal, I think you'll want to graduate to the strength guide (I haven't seen it yet). Regardless of the guide you use, as others have mentioned, it's mostly about the diet. I would like to lose 25 pounds. I didn't gain those 25 pounds because I wasn't active (although sitting on the couch doesn't do me any favors). I've got this extra weight because I like to eat! I like to cook! I am in a very serious relationship with wine. Eating right is easier said than done!

My dog eats better than me! For the first 5 years of her life, she suffered from what we thought were extreme allergies and a sensitive stomach (turns out that she has Addison's Disease, and once treated, all these symptoms went away). As a result, we gave her a "bland" diet of whole food: Boiled chicken breasts/thighs (whatever I got on sale) and rice (white/brown, again, whatever was on sale). This was the only thing that kept her tummy calm. I had to supplement this with some vitamins. Since I spoil her rotten, she does get the occasional beef bone, as long as it's hormone free. After getting her Addison's under control, we have moved to a more conventional dog food diet, but have stuck to holistic ingredients only, grain free. Wellness makes some very good dog foods.

Thanks! Now here is hoping a stressful day at work doesn't throw me off my game today. It did yesterday and I used it as an excuse to self sabotage.