Hi, see my Journal for the history.

This is the start of 3 mths to a lifetime of getting and staying fit.

Starting with Aktins to lose a few pounds and 30 min Cardio on the elliptical cross trainer at 130 hbpm, followed by 10 min on the AB-Doer and 10 minutes floor ab and back exercises.
Alternating with pilates 8 min abs and Tae-bo 8 min workout and my upper abs are sure hurting.
I am 68.3 and weigh 152pounds, mabey by the end of the week 150. I need to get back to 154 after the love handels have vanished.

Now I want to lift and build muscle.
Should be fun.
What foods to eat?
What exercises to start with?


07.10.04
My workout bench is a Kettler Multi Trainer DeLuxe.
It came with 2 books full of exercises for all the different muscle groups and has all the bells and whistles, also 2 dumbells with weights.

Food intake for the last few days and until I go over to Maintenance:

Everday:

Breakfast :
3 or 4 slices bacon + 3 or 4 eggs + 1 multi vitamin/ mineral pill.

During the day 1 dish of salad, normally eaten in 3-4 sittings consisting of:

I half slice of thick ham and leftover meat/chicken/pork from last night's meal.
1 small slice of capsicum
2 slices of cheese
1 half of small tomato
1/2 cup of lettuce
1/3 cup cucumber
full stick of celery
1 small carrot
small slice of onion
leftover salad from last night
All diced into small blocks to make it easy to eat with a fork.

1 Atkins lc bread roll

4 grapes
4 small pieces of rockmelon
4 small peices of pineapple

1-2 hard boiled eggs

1.5ltr or more water

Dinner :
meat, chicken or pork with the same salad as above,no fruit a few nuts more water.
I have stopped drinking tea,coffee and orange juice.

After 1 week playing, 1 week experimenting and now 4 days on Phase 1 my weight is down to 68kg from my start weight 71 kilo's but love handles still hanging in there although back skin seems to be looser.

New exercise at work, walking 6 flights of stairs instead of taking the lift.

Exercises:
07.10.04

Bench press 3s 12r 10kg
Barbell squat 3s 15r 35kg
Seated row 3s 15r 25kg
Seatedshoulder press behind neck 3s 12r 10kg
Back extension 3s 15r
Standing calf raise 3s 15r 20kg
Lying leg curl 1s 5r 5kg
Barbell curl 3s 12r 10 kg

08.10.04

20 min Elliptical cross trainer 120bpm
Pilates 8min Abs
cable crunches 1s 12r 5kg 3s 12r 15kg
back extension with dumbell 4s 15r 7kg
floor exercises: 60 bike crunches,20 pelvic lift, 20 back crunches.

Gone over to GHF Carb cycling diet: low carb Mon-Fri. High Sat Sun
Low Carb days:
Meal 1: Oatmeal 1/2 apple 2 tbls protien powder. 1 multi vitamin/mineral pill
Meal 2: left over meat/vegy from last night or chicken / turkey salad
Meal 3:chicken or turkey salad/ baked potato
Meal 4:chicken or turkey salad
Meal 5: Meat/veg dinner
Meal 6: Protien shake/ or oatmeal protien bar snack

High Carb days:
Meal 1: Oatmeal 1 apple, 1 banana, 2 strawberry's 2 tbls protien powder. 1 multi vitamin/mineral pill
Meal 2: High Fibre bran 1/2 apple 1/2 banana protien shake
Meal 3:chicken /turkey/ meat with steamed vegies/salad
Meal 4:chicken or turkey salad/ baked potato
Meal 5: Meat/veg dinner
Meal 6: Protien shake/ or oatmeal protien bar snack.

Salad is made up of:
Turkey/ chicken/fish, carrot, cucumber, cottage cheese, normal cheese, capsicum, lettuce, kidney beans, rice, egg whites, celery, tomato, and whatever was leftover from last nights meal. All mixed together in a bowl and eaten it small portions throughout the day.

09.10.04

67kg / 147 pounds and the love handels are getting smaller and abs are showing.
Exercises:
5 min cardio warmup
Bench press 1 12 10kg..1s 8r 15kg..1s 12r 20kg..1s 6r 25kg
shoulder press Behind neck 1s 12r 10kg..1s 4.5r 10
preacher curl 1s 5r 10kg.. 1s 6r 10
barbell curl 1s 15r 10kg.. 1s 7r 15kg.. 1s 4.5r 15
front lat pull down 3s 15r 15kg..
front shoulder press 1s 6r 10kg
back hyperextension with dumbell 4s 15r 12kg

10.10.04

11.00am : 30 min Inline Skating 10 klm

22.00pm : back hyperextension with dumbell 3s 15r 12kg
floor exercises: 20 crunches, 20 oblique crunches, 40 bike crunches, 20
pelvic lifts, 20 back crunches,

22.10.04 Update:

Due to a pinched nerve in the chest training is back to only Cardio,
Pilates 8 min Ab's and floor exercises, 30 min per day.

23.10.04
40 min Cardio interval training on the crosstrainer

24.10.04

My back crunches are fine and my back hyperextensions with weight have dropped in reps as I have found that I was lifting my back past level and releasing the muscle.
Now I stop before fully upright and that keeps tension on the back muscles and is much harder to do, I now get a burn in the muscle so must be right form.
Amazing morning skating today, was able to do 30min with lots of hard sprints inbetween and keep the pace above normal the whole time. Stamina and strength have improved immensly.

25.10.04

20min on the cross trainer doing interval training at 50/75% mhr. Still sore in the thighs from my great morning skate yesterday.

26.10.04

10min cardio warmup
pilates 8 min Ab's
2 sets 20 back crunches
40 bike crunches
10 back hyper extensions
3 back hyper extensions with 10kg

27.10.04
Bad news from home, so rest day today.
28.10.04
Bad news, no exercise, thank god I haven't let the diet slip.
29.10.04
30.10.04
nothing.
31.10.04
finally skate day so I got up and did my normal sunday warmup, Ab and Back routine.

26.11.04
Just back from 4 weeks in Aus.
Gained 2 kilo's got to get back to basics.

First workout after 4 weeks on hols.

20min Cardio at 130hbpm
Pilates 8min Abs
Cat stretches
1 set 20 reps back crunches
Cat stretches
1 set 20 reps back extensions
1 set 20 reps 12kg bicepDB curls

not much pain in front chest after curls but not totally healed yet.

12.12.04
Can't do pushing exercises with chest muscles but have gained
1cm om biceps and around chest.
68kg ~ 19.6% fat
Now lifting 3sets 10reps 23kg on Db curls
started full body workouts without chest presses, all going well.

28.12.04
4 day split:

Day 1,4
Chest( bent knee pushups)
Shoulder
triceps
Abs

Day 2,5
Legs
Biceps
Back
Abs

Day 3,6,7
Rest, cardio 30 min.
Fat at 18%
Adding 2-5kg every workout

06.01.2005
Started on intense weight loss program to reduce bodyfat.
Cardio 30 min most mornings before work.
Protien powder with water, 1000mg Vita C.
Breakfast 1hr later
Normal meals and workouts the rest of the time.
30 min Extra bike riding during the day

64 kg 16% body fat

Means I have lost 4 kg,( 3 kg fat 1kg lean mass)

16.01.05
62kg 14%

17.01.05
136 14% 1 week of rest and physio on the chest muscle.
Started Squats and Milk routine.

25.01.05
Sore from Pullups but less pain in chest.
Just doing Squats, pullups, bicep curls, abs and back.
Fat% has dropped a fraction to just under the 14.

04.02.05
Pinched nerve in back while squatting laid me off for 4 days.
Have gained 2 kg, chest seems to be fine enough.
Back to full body routine 2 day split without squats for a while.
Fat is also up 2 % so had better start doing Cardio again.
Mon. Wed. Tri's, Shoulders, Chest..Cardio after workout
Tue. Thu. Biceps, Back, Legs
Fri. Rest or Cardio
Sat. Rest
Sun. Rest + Cardio

02.03.05
Back got better but then got the flu.
Chest is better, am starting basic exercises and cardio after 1 mth layoff

18.03.05
68kg
doing daily back, chest and arm exercises at 20 reps light kg to build strength.
adding 2.5 kg after 1-1.5 weeks

27.04.05

70kg 20% fat
Strength is good, now building.
Mon :JiuJitsu
Tue :Rest
Wed , Fri:
3 sets 20,15,10 reps 20,25,30kg Front Lat Pull
3 sets 20,15,10 reps 25,30,35kg Closegrip Lat Pull
3 sets 20,15,10 reps 15,20,25kg Benchpress
Thu, sat :
Tri:15kg, biceps:27kg, shoulders,17kg, Abs, back ext.
Sun : Rest
Legs Daily: stair walking, skating, cycling and some squats.