6 weeks out

I thought since it's been so long since I've posted that I'd start letting you folks know about my upcoming meet. I am competing in the APF state meet March 20.

Over the next 6 weeks I'll be letting you in on my training and my progress with cutting a little bit of weight.

As of right now I am about 155lbs and I plan on competing in the 148lb class, so I have a little bit to lose. Although some of it can be water.

Over the course of the next 4 weeks my training will become heavier than it ever has before. I'm going to be working up to heavy singles in each of the 3 main lifts (bench press, squat, and deadlift) and the volume of my training will be decreasing.

My goals for the meet are going to be a 335lb squat, a 200lb bench, and a 350lb deadlift which adds up to a 885lb total. These could change over the course of the next few weeks depending on how my training goes.

I am working with Kiefer on my diet. I am starting this today, and I am very excited to see things like pizza, ice cream, written in to my diet plan. I'm sure this is going to be a rather enjoyable 6 weeks.

I plan on updating with my bodyweight and training at least twice per week. If I don't stick to this, feel free to write nasty comments.

Theory of Fat loss review

The Theory of Fat loss by Timothy J. Ward.

I recently read and reviewed this book, and I will say that this is one of the better books about fat loss that I have ever read. It is very easily read and understood and very logical.

Book strengths. This book is based on the concept of absolute intensity, which is basically saying that the harder that one is able to train the easier fat loss will be for that person. This seems like a very logical concept, but it is not generally considered in the formation of most fat loss programming. Personally I like the idea of increasing ones work capacity to improve the ease of reaching their goals. I also like the recommendations for training that Timothy lays out in the books. He covers very comprehensively different ways to assess your abilities in relation to training. He also explains in great detail ways to improve efficacy of training. He also lays out some good basic guidelines for nutrition. I don't necessarily agree with all of the guidelines listed, but I do agree that they are a good place to start, and can be adjusted.
Another strength is that he suggests using professionals in designing training programs. This is rare in fat loss books. Most will offer a general program and claim it to be the best program to follow for its given goal. Timothy suggests that there is not a general program that will work for everybody and that designing a program based on your own strengths, weaknesses, and functionality is much better than a cookie cutter program.

Book Weaknesses. There are not many weaknesses that I can find in this book. The only one that I can think of is that I don't necessarily agree with all of the nutritional recommendations that are given in the book.

Overall. This book is a great read for anybody who finds losing fat to be difficult and confusing. It lays out in great detail the reason behind some people's ease of fat loss and other people's difficulty. The Theory of Fat Loss is an easy read, and it can familiarize new trainees to some more advanced concepts without being too overwhelming. I would recommend this book to anybody who is trying to lose fat and to anybody who helps others lose fat.

You can pick up your copy here: theory of fat loss

Diet and Training help

        
   Many of you out there may want some help when it comes to reaching your goals for body composition, health, strength, and general fitness. (gift hint)

          If you are looking for some guidance, I am here to offer different ideas and options for diet and training program design.

1. One time diet design.
    This is the least costly option. This entails a thorough assessment of your current diet and a one time diet recommendation personalized around your current diet and goals. This also includes one week of available phone and e-mail consulting to answer any questions or concerns regarding the diet.
        This option costs $50.00

2. Four week training program
    This is the least costly option for training. This includes an assessment, 4 week program design and four weeks of phone and e-mail consulting available to answer any questions or concerns regarding the program.
       This option costs $125.00

3. Twelve week training program
     This is the next option for training program design. This includes three four week blocks of training that can make a big difference in your physique and get you well on your way toward your goals. This includes three assessments (one every four weeks) and ongoing support throughout the 12 weeks that I am working with you.
       This option costs $300.00

4. 4 week diet plan
    This option includes a four week diet with current nutritional assessment and ongoing support and advice throughout the four weeks.
     This option costs $150.00

5. 12 week diet plan
     This option includes everything that you get with the four week diet plan extended to twelve weeks. This is a great option for someone who has a deadline to reach their goals.
    this option costs $300.00

6. 4 week training program and one time diet design
   This option combines the four week training program design and one time diet design.
     This option costs $160.00

7. 12 week complete diet and training program design
    This includes both training and diet design for 12 weeks. This includes 3 assessments and  all ongoing support for the individual for the twelve weeks. This is the ultimate package for an individual for any fitness and physique goals.
    This option costs $500.00

Any of these can be combined to help you reach your goals. If you are interested please contact me at max.wkw@gmail.com

Holiday Gifts for Fitness Enthusiasts of Every Level

Christmas is quickly approaching and some of you may be overwhelmed with what to get somebody. Well, if they like to workout, are an athlete, or your run of the mill gym rat. Here's some ideas of what you could get them.

1. Kettlebell

Everyone and their mother has gotten on the kettlebell bandwagon. Help them out by getting them one of their own. They can keep it in their house or car to do some nice strength or conditioning work at any time. For women I suggest you start in the 8-20lb range and men in the 15-45lb range. If they are experienced go heavier.


2. Vibram Five Fingers

These shoes are great for walking, weight training, rock climbing, and just being awesome in general. If somebody knows their European shoe size that is generally a pretty good match for their vibram size. If they don't, I would suggest a gift card or a pair that is definitely exchangeable.


3. GymBoss interval timer

These are awesome for timing intervals, or timing really anything. They are programmable and convenient to bring along to the gym.

4. Kitchen Scale

Make sure these are accurate to the mg if you can. I recently got one myself and they make cooking and baking far easier.

5.Battling ropes

These are awesome for intervals, pullups, and lots of other things. If you have about 10 feet of space you can turn it into a great conditioning workout.

6. EliteFTS gift card

If you are shopping for somebody who likes lifting heavy you can be guaranteed that they want something from this website.

7. Foam roller

If you aren't currently using one of these. You should be. There are some options of size and density. Start light. If your gift recipient already is familiar with these, you can go with a denser model.

8. Jump Stretch Bands

These are very versatile and available in lots of different tensions. You can use them for rehab work, varied resistance with exercises and a bunch of other things.

9. Subscription to Alan Aragon's Research Review.

If you're looking for a nerdy gift. This is it. This research review is published monthly and covers lots of varied topics pertaining to training and nutrition.

10. The New Rules of Lifting (any one of the 3)

For the beginner or somebody who has not trained seriously this is a very well written book with months of programming.

Advanced Diet Strategies Part 1 Carb Cycling

When dieting I believe that one should start from a simple broad approach based on general good habits and utilize simple habit changes for as long as possible before moving into a more detail oriented approach.

This being said I myself tend to prefer a more detailed approach to dieting. This tends to be true for individuals who have more of an "all or nothing" personality. Whether this is healthy or not is debatable. I am not qualified to make a distinction there, but I will give my recommendation on several methods of carb cycling.

Method 1: Tapering throughout the week.
This method would start with a couple of higher carb days, followed by a couple of medium carb days and finishing the week with several low carb days. For example your week may look like this.
Saturday: high carb
Sunday: high carb
Monday: medium carb
Tuesday: medium carb
Wednesday: low carb
Thursday: low carb
Friday: low carb

This would be a good setup for somebody who has spare time on the weekends to train probably both Saturday and Sunday, and also allows them to socialize on the weekends. I would recommend this person exercise on a 4 day per week schedule (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) putting their heaviest day on either Saturday or Sunday.

Method 2: Carb cycling based on training.
This setup puts higher or medium carb days on training days and lower carb days on rest days. This is more of a setup for somebody who may work on the weekends, or have an irregular schedule. This is also more adaptable to different numbers of training days. This setup would work as follows.

Sunday: training day high carb
Monday: rest day low carb
Tuesday: training day high carb
Wednesday: rest day low carb
Thursday: rest day low carb
Friday: training day medium carb
Saturday: rest day low carb

This method is what I generally use for myself. I like this because it is highly adaptable to different schedules and training programs.

Method 3: Within a day carb cycling
This approach is a bit more meticulous with timing of carbs. This method can be used as tapering carb intake throughout the day, or strategically placing carbs around your training. If you were doing the tapering carb approach your day might look like this

8:00 high carb breakfast with a starchy carb
10:30 medium carb snack with fruit or starchy carb
1:00 medium carb lunch with fibrous carb and fruit
3:30 lower carb snack with fibrous carb
6:00 low carb dinner with fibrous vegetables

This approach tends to work well with people who have more time in the morning to prepare their food and who don't mind having lighter meals later in  the day.

 Placing carbs around training might look like this.
8:00 lower carb breakfast
10:30 low carb snack
1:00 low carb lunch
3:30 high carb snack
5:00 TRAIN
6:30 high carb dinner

This approach tends to work well with people who need carbs to fuel their training and who may not like to eat heavily in the morning, but prefer larger meals later in the day.

These options can be combined as well. These approaches to diet seem to benefit some people more than others. There are many people who prefer to eat about the same amount each day, while others like to change the amount that they are eating throughout the week.

I will outline other more advanced techniques that you can employ when the simple strategies don't yield results any longer.

Review of Robert Cheeke's Vegan Bodybuilding

What this book is: This book is 2 things at the same time. It is both a narrative of Robert Cheeke's life, and it is a manual of how to get started and thrive at bodybuilding on a plant based diet.

Who this book is for: This book is marketed mainly toward people in the vegan community who enjoy physical activity and physical culture. I believe that Robert is trying also to sell the idea of bodybuilding on a vegan diet to meat eating critics.

Things I liked about the book: This book is a decently well written story of Robert's journey from skinny youth to a bodybuilder. He tells this story pretty well and involves meticulous detail about his dietary and training habits. He also provides a lot of experiences with meeting others in the physical culture and adapting their ideals to his vegan lifestyle. Robert even goes into detail about how to court sponsors to fund your bodybuilding endeavors. I also like the many pictures that Robert included of his progress as a bodybuilder and as a vegan activist.

My criticisms: While this is a good narrative it is not a great manual for training or diet. The meal plans that Robert outlines are a bit outlandish in their caloric guidelines, and while he does offer several variances on the diets, some of them rely relatively heavily on processed food (which I don't necessarily condone). Also I disagree with his training philosophies, but that being said they have worked for him. My other criticism is the length of the book. I believe that it is a bit too long.

In closing, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an inspiring story, or a motivation to go out and train. I would not recommend this book as a sole source of information when designing one's diet or training program. 

12 week challenge November 1, 2010- January 10, 2011

Alright everybody I am opening up some spots for a free personalized training program for 12 weeks. This is open to a few individuals who have contacted me through facebook or through my blog.

This challenge is pretty simple.

You set the goals

You choose the program (I can provide one for you or recommend some programs, or you can just go at it willy nilly which I do not recommend)

You make the rules for yourself

All I am here to do is encourage, provide a program (if you so choose), provide a space for support

This challenge is for anyone who wishes to join.

I am planning on setting up a page on facebook where everyone can state their goals, share their progress, and get support from others in the challenge, and talk about whatever you want.

The biggest challenge of the next 12 weeks is keeping to your goals and being honest with yourself throughout the holiday season.

I will leave you with the words of a great coach

"The goal is to keep the goal the goal" Dan John