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Equipment needed
None. Just an open area like your living room or your lawn
Who is this for?
This is for anyone who wants to lose the most amount of body fat possible, but has no access to a gym or equipment.
So you have no equipment? Nothing to train with except your body and a will to train. I’m not even going to throw in dips, pull ups, or body rows since we’re going with a complete “no equipment” mentality. This means we will not be doing any upper body pulling movements which is far from ideal. However with maximum weight loss being the goal, a month without pulls is a calculated casualty.
Oh, and I don’t want to hear a single peep about there being no “ab” exercises. To lose weight you need maximum caloric expenditure and that weak-ass crunch isn’t going to cut it.
I’m also asking you to abandon long slow cardio for the 31 days. Unless you are finding some mental or spiritual clarity in your 30 minute treadmill treks, STOP IT NOW! If you are not satisfied with your results after following my 31 day plan, you can always return to the pretty red lights of the treadmill dashboard.
6 Exercises: Squat, Lunge, Push Up, Squat Jump, Hop Scotch, and Baby Burpee. Yes, the push up may be done from the knees if you can’t do a regular pushup.
Warm up
Warm Up before the workout with 3-5 minutes of jumping jacks or jogging in place.
Workout A:
Squat: 25 reps or as many as possible before a rest is needed – which ever comes first.
Hop Scotch: 30 seconds of max effort.
Push Up: 25 reps or as many as possible before a rest is needed – which ever comes first.
Hop Scotch: 30 seconds of max effort.
Repeat cycle 4 – 8 rounds.
Workout B:
Baby Burpee: 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest.
Repeat 4 – 12 times.
Workout C:
Lunge: 15 reps each leg or as many as possible.
Hop Scotch: 30 seconds.
Push Up: 25 reps or as many as possible.
Hop Scotch: 30 seconds.
Repeat cycle 4 – 8 rounds.
Workout D:
Squat Jump: 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest.
Repeat 4 – 12 times.
Workout E:
Lunge: 10 reps each leg.
Baby Burpee: 10 reps.
Repeat 5 – 7 times.
Workout F:
Squat Jump: Max reps in 10 minutes. Rest as needed and keep track of the reps completed. Try to beat rep count each time this workout comes up.
Workout G:
Tabata Intervals of the following:
A tabata is 20 seconds of one exercises (quick pace) followed by 10 seconds of rest. You should do this for each exercise for 4 minutes. Your entire workout will take 16 minutes.
Follow a 4 days on, one day off, 3 days on, one day off cycle as follows:
31 Day Workout Plan
May 1. Workout A
May 2. Workout B
May 3. Workout C
May 4. Workout D
May 5. OFF
May 6. Workout E
May 7. Workout F
May 8. Workout G
May 9. OFF
May 10. Workout A
May 11. Workout B
May 12. Workout C
May 13. Workout D
May 14. OFF
May 15. Workout E
May 16. Workout F
May 17. Workout G
May 18. OFF
May 19. Workout A
May 20. Workout B
May 21. Workout C
May 22. Workout D
May 23. OFF
May 24. Workout E
May 25. Workout F
May 26. Workout G
May 27. OFF
May 28. Workout A
May 29. Workout B
May 30. Workout C
May 31. Workout D
Your Diet
Let’s get this straight right now: diet is THE most important component of your fat loss journey. And while we’re being straight forward, I’m asking you to endure some hunger pangs for the next 31 days.
This is a crash course. This is all out war for 31 days on the blubber you’ve been hauling around. Let me ask you this, has what you’ve been currently doing brought you results? If you answered no, then it’s time for something different. And radically different. I promise you, a little gnawing in your belly is going to go a lot farther toward your weight loss than any workout I can put together.
If you have set the goal to drop as much weight as possible in 31 days, be prepared to pay the price. No cheat days. No cheat meals. No cheat freakin’ tastes or bites of anything. It’s ONLY 31 days! Exercise some damned discipline and give it your all.
Eat lean meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, some nuts, and very limited amount of starchy carbohydrates and dairy. And keep the carbs to post workout only. Sound tough? It’s not tough – you can do anything for 31 days. Give it your all for 31 days and then make your decision. If you don’t feel more energetic and your weight hasn’t dropped, go back to eating your pasta and bread. Also watch your quantities. Keep meats to about size of your palm and nuts to one layer in the center of your palm (about 6 almonds). If you are hungry make yourself a big old salad – you can eat raw or lightly steamed vegetables until your belly is full. Speaking of salads, the only approved dressing is homemade vinaigrette: 3 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar, spices as you desire. Yum! A sample meal plan follows:
That being said, here is a sample meal plan assuming a 6:00pm workout:
7:00am Large fruit salad of melon, pineapple, and grapes.
9:00am 1 banana. 1 small handful of almonds.
11:00am Large spinach salad with grilled chicken, cucumber, tomato, and vinaigrette.
2:00pm 1 apple.
5:00pm 1 pear. 1 small handful of walnuts.
6:30pm Post workout 8 oz of chocolate milk or small can of tuna + handful of carrots
7:30pm Stir fried sirloin and broccoli.
10:00pm How bad do you want to be shredded in 31 days? Ask yourself this before eating at 10 o’clock at night. If you still feel you need to eat, try half a piece of fruit and a large glass of water.
If you have any questions about this workout, please post them below…
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Vic Magary is a personal trainer, a US ARMY veteran and karate/taekwondo black belt. You can get a proven fat loss plan by picking up my 31 Day Workout Manual or by signing up for my Free Newsletter |
| Email this author | All posts by Vic Magary | |
In regards to eliminating the cardio on treadmill does that mean also eliminate the 30-45 minute daily walk that I try to do every day?
No as long a your wlk does not interfere with your workouts. If they are spaced enough, it will be good.
Vic,
I’m planning on doing hill sprints on mon/wed/fri morning with a friend (sprint up big hill, walk back down, repeat 4 to 6 times). Would it be okay to do those in the morning and then do your scheduled workout at night? Would that be too much? Should I just replace your scheduled workout with the hill sprints on the days I do those?
In an ideal world it would be better if you spaced them out mon-wed-fri for sprints and tues-thurs-sat for the workout. If you cant swing that, then yes you can do them in the morning just space them out as much as possible…
I do a lot of triathlon training for Ironman… meaning I’m out swimming, cycling or running for several hours six times per day. I can’t seem to lose any weight though, despite eating a diet very similar to the one you describe (albeit with significantly more calories per meal since I’m burning a whole lot more).
It’s all belly fat, my legs (understandably) look great. Arms don’t look too shabby either, but that comes from a construction-esque job that requires the use of them… I don’t do much weight lifting.
Think ramping up the intensity will have an effect on weight loss? I’ve been pretty drilled into maintaining endurance heart rates.
Hi Robert,
Is it possible to scrap the triathlon work for May? It’s the only way to test if high intensity work will give you the fat loss you seek versus the long slow endurance work.
If going a month without the endurance work is not an option, I recommend you go with the strength workout. Adding some strength (and muscle) may go a long way to increasing your resting metabolism and make your other activities stronger (why does a deadlift help your biking? I don’t know – I just know that it does!). And I’m going to guess some heavy resistance training will go farther to your fitness that the high intensity body weight work.
That being said. . . it’s only 31 days! Try either the basic bodyweight fat loss or the strength program this month. If you don’t get the results you’re after, try the next one. Track your results so you have the hard data to make the adjustments that will get you to your fitness goals. Good luck.
Yo Vic. This is Q. After getting dozens of your emails, I hope I can finally get motivated to ACT.
First, you are awesome to put all this out there and help people for the sheer enjoyment of helping – your generosity hasn’t changed since I met you in college. Class Act.
Second, I have a long way to go and I’m motivated by this particular challenge since my 37th birthday is May 31st.
Third, I don’t have a home gym so I’m going to try the no equipment fat loss beginner program.
Fourth, why the hell am I numbering these? Anyway, I figure that if I write you and put myself out there, I’ll have a desire to stick with it.
Thanks man.
Q
Q!
Great to hear from you, man!
Perfect timing for the challenge with your birthday hitting on May 31st. Stay the course with your diet and exercise and you will see results!
Also, you are welcome to come to my 10:00am Saturday fitness class at my storefront location during the month of May at no charge. Consider it a birthday present.
Good luck and train hard!
Hey Vic
I think my diet at the moment is quite clean so I’d like to try the workouts and continue eating the way I do. Here’s a typical day for me if I wake up really early lol:
7.30am (Breakfast)
20g of Kellogs Nature cereal
125ml of skimmed milk(looking to switch to soy milk very soon)
apple
9.30am
fruit salad
12pm
Pretzels(15) and fruit
2pm (Lunch)
a sandwich with 2 slices of cereal bread and some type of meat, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, carrot or just a salad with some type of meat thrown in the mix
5pm
peanuts(20-30g)
fruit
7pm (Dinner)
whole wheat pasta/potatoes/brown rice
some type of meat or if not lentils
vegetables
If I wake up later around 7.30/8am I usually have breakfast around 9.30am and skip the pretzel snack
Is this eating plan ok you think? can I continue like this?
Hi Cindy,
Are you happy with your bodyweight with your current diet? If you are, do not change it. If you are not, then you MUST change it.
My opinion is that you are eating too many carbohydrate rich foods: cereal, milk, pretzels, bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice.
If you want to lose weight, I recommend eating the carbohydrate rich foods listed above ONLY immediately after your training and ONLY in limited portions.
This has proven effective for many of my personal clients and my own weight loss. Why not try it for 31 days?
When I click on the Push-up link, it sends me to the video for the Lunge. I think the push-up is going to be the most difficult exercise for me, and I would really like to see one done by a pro first!
Will edit that now…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te550Vo1ZYI&feature=channel
Hey Vic
For workouts like A and C is it ok to include a rest time between each cycle and if so how long would you suggest? Thanks
Yes, a rest after the second set of Hopscotch in the cycle is fine. Try to keep the rest period to between 30 – 60 seconds. If you NEED longer, take longer. By need I mean, you are feeling nauseous or light headed. Despite what some people think, I really don’t want clients to puke or pass out while training.
I just did my first workout, wow!!! my heart’s still going a mile a minute and I’m sweating loads. I did 5 cycles with 1min or less break in between each cycle and short breaks between some of the exercises when I needed to catch my breath a bit. I was able to do the 25 squats each cycle without any break but for the pushups I did m
oops to continue that message
but for the pushups I did mainly 15 followed by a short 5-10 secs breather and then the final 10. I know that does not exactly follow the rules but would doing it like that be ok? I’ll try to build up from that next time doing more than 15 in one go and so on
Thanks
It sounds like you did the workout the way I intended it: you pushed yourself to maximum exertion while maintaining safety. Great job!
Keep at it and you’ll build up to more than 15 push ups straight in no time!
I am doing the no-gym workout because, well, I don’t have access to a gym. That being said, I do have a pullup bar, kettlebells and dumbells at home. Would you recommend adding anything to this workout to use any of those tools? I love practicing pullups so I would like to fit those into the workout if it makes sense.
Thanks for putting all this information out there.
By the way, I’d like to disagree with a statement you quoted recently: “The fact that a shortcut is important to you, means that you’re a pussy.” Au contraire! As a proud owner of a pussy I know that it would not stoop to taking shortcuts.
Hi Laura,
Definitely, if you have access to a pull up bar then it is a welcome addition to the plan (It was through gritted teeth that I did not include any pulling in the no-gym workout, but I really wanted a completely equipment free plan to eliminate all excuses).
Some kettlebell and dumbbell work will be ok as well, especially the kettlebell movements as they typically involve a good deal of posterior chain work (low back, glutes, and hamstrings) that is unfortunately absent from the no-gym plan. I’d integrate your pull ups and kettlebell work on the normal workout days and still keep the rest days for rest.
And thanks for the clarification (and belly laugh) on the earlier quote!
count me in on this one, will add some weighted exercises in as well ie weighted squats, and some pull ups and dips just for giggles
Chris
Sounds good, Chris! Be sure to take a “before” pic and record your starting body weight for submission at the end of the month for a chance to win the challenge.
I hurt my ankle last week and went to the Dr. and everything and that is all taken care of. I can still walk on it gently, but doing anything like running or jumping is not an option for me. I was wondering if you could offer any suggestions about how I could change what needs changing in this work out. Thanks!
Lia, any of the high impact work is going to be a no-go for you for now. That means anything that requires jumping in any way.
Substitute bodyweight squats for any of the high impact movements. Do the squats as fast as possible and be sure to use a full range of motion (hip crease below the knee at the bottom and stand up fully at the top). If you do the squats as fast as possible and maintain good technique, you should be able to accelerate your heart rate enough to ensure fat loss.
Good luck and may you have a speedy recovery!
Thanks so much for the advice on changing the exercises!!
You are welcome!
VIc-
I am excited to try this for 30 days! One question… I work out on a daily basis, usually for around an hour (usually doing p90x) and these workouts just feel extremely short… what is the reasoning behind why these will work versus an equally-intense hour long workout?
Great question, Rachel. . .
Are you satisfied with your results from P90x? If so, then don’t change what you are doing. If you are not satisfied, then why not try something different for 31 days and see if it works?
These workouts ARE short. If you find them too easy, move to the advanced workouts. Bottom line is that diet is going to take you farther than any workout I can put together. Or any workout the marketing geniuses behind P90x can put together for that matter.
To bring it full circle. . . if you are happy with the results from your current program, then do not change. If you are not, then give one of our programs a shot for 31 days. I’d love to have you on board!
I have a boxing bag at home, how would you recommend I work that into the routine? I used to train at a boxing gym so I’m familiar with the basic exercises.
Dana, I LOVE heavy bag work! I’d implement the heavy bag with workouts A, C, and F and keep the rest days as rest days.
What to do on the heavy bag? 2 minutes on, 1 minute rest is always a good place to start. And start with three rounds. I would go no more than five 3 minute rounds with 30 second rest between rounds; and that’s only if your fitness level is pretty high already.
Keep us posted with how the heavy bag is treating you with the main workout. Good luck!
If I come to your saturday drop in excersize, do I continue on the same exersize plan?
Hi Anne, if you have a workout for the Beginner’s Fat Loss Workout – No Equipment and my Saturday drop-in fitness class scheduled on the same day, do one or the other – but not both. Thanks and good luck!
Hey Vic,
Thanks for the great 31 day plan. I am very excited to try this out without the gym, its a nice change. I’m a vegetarian (yes, yes I saw your video) so my diet, which was very clean before, is now getting cleaner as I drop the carbs a bit more. The workouts are making my heart jump out of my chest and I hope to get better and faster through this process and afterwards. A quick question, I see comments from other people and they are doing more cardio activities besides the workouts. Is it optimal for more fatloss to be doing some intervals as well as your work-out plan? Thanks again!
Hi Melissa, it’s kind of a loaded question. On the one hand I think the workout and diet plan is fine as-is. But I can’t deny that the more calories you expend, the greater fat loss you should have.
But I HATE long slow cardio. It’s bottom of the barrel for fat loss as far as I’m concerned. If your heart is jumping out of your chest from the workouts, then mission accomplished. Your metabolism will be cranked after a workout like that far more than from a long slow plod on a treadmill.
Keep training hard!
Vic,
I am a little over 5′ 11” and around 185 pounds. I have not been consistent in working out over the past few years. I have a little bit of extra weight in my stomach/midsection. I started this workout program, but was wondering if I should be doing this one or the muscle building one – I don’t want to lose too much weight, just get rid of the midsection and build muscle. Should I do this for the 31 days and then switch over? I hope that is enough info…your thoughts?
Andy, I’d stick with this program for 31 days. How much weight you lose is going to be more a function of diet than the workouts. If you feel you are getting too light, increase your caloric intake. At the end of the 31 days, you’ll know if switching to a different plan is right for you. Good luck!
Hey Vic
I’ve been away drinking and eating all weekend! It was a bank holiday here so I had plans already. But anyway, just wanted to say hi and that I’m going to get with the programe today
I just did Workout A and I’m so glad I didn’t go to advanced (which is what I originally thought I’d be able to do until I saw the handstand push ups!! OMG!!…lol) as I am a heart thumping, sweat drippin wreck!! haha!
Hope you dont me tagging on so late,
Thank you so much for doing this. Already I feel rejuventated and inspired just doing a new workout
Kind Regards
Tusc
Tusc!!! You know you are always welcome, whether you are on time or late. Glad to have you with us!
Don’t be afraid to integrate some of those pull ups you’ve been working so hard on with this plan.
Good luck and post your questions and comments as they come up. Thanks!
Thanks for the warm welcome hun
I do have one (probably pathetic) question….lol
What kind of timer do you use for timing your intervals/rests?
I have either used the second hand on my watch, or my mobile phones stop watch, but neither are ideal as you have to stop and look/reset so you lose time. But perhaps I’m just being a boring perfectionist…lol I guess I’m just wondering if there is such a thing as an interval timer to be bought out there?
Cheers
Tusc:)
Here is an awesome online timer:
http://www.speedbagforum.com/timer.html
Personally I use the gymboss timer which can be found at http://gymboss.com .
And your question is not pathetic at all. I STRUGGLED to find a timer I liked until I found the GymBoss timer. At twenty dollars or so (U.S. of course), it’s well worth it.
oh wow! An online timer! How cool is that!!!
Thank you so much Vic. I will figure it out tomow for my baby burpees!!
All the best, thanks
Tusc
Hi Vic,
I’m enjoying the workouts so far. Seeing them written down they seem so short and I seem to think that it’ll be easy to do them until I actually try it lol. The squat jumps today were really great and I was only able to do them about 5 times which was about 5 minutes(which seems really short), but my heart rate was up so I guess that’s good. Just to clarify though, for Workout G with the tabata intervals does it matter if you go through all the exercises and then repeat or repeat one exercise until full completed before you on to the next one. Hope that made sense… Thanks!
Cindy, great question. . .
Enjoy.
You should complete 8 intervals of THE SAME exercise before moving to the next. And let me warn you now. . . Tabata intervals can be brutal.
I’ve done the A and D workouts (just started yesterday and am catching up…skipping the rest day today), and my legs are so sore they’re almost cramping. I’m not terribly out of shape but I can tell that they will be very weak tomorrow. Is it ok to substitute pullups for the lunges in tomorrow’s Workout E, to give my legs a break?
Can you do a kipping pull up? If so, then it’s probably a fine substitution. A strict pull up will not give you the total body involvement that will be needed to accelerate the heart heart for fat loss purposes.
I love pull ups. Strict, kip, weighted, or otherwise. And I think kipping pullups are awesome for volume and metabolic conditioning. I think strict and weighted are great for strength. For fat loss, you need volume. If you are only doing like 1 or 2 pull ups, it’s not a good substitution. If you can get close to 10, then it might work out.
I think a better option would be to just reduce the reps on the lunges. Knock it down to only 4 each leg if you have to.
Good luck. Train hard, but train safe.
Hi Vic – just checking in. I started today with workout A, took my pictures, and recorded my weight. I know I am behind, but I’m committed for the rest of the month. I came here from Mark’s Daily Apple, and have been eating somewhat primal for the last 3 months, down about 9lbs and feeling good. My major issue is, as I mentioned in my first post, my addiction to cardio. I started running marathons & trithlons in 1999. I am pretty burned out and ready to be done with it, but I guess I’m afraid that I won’t be able to stay in shape without (at the very least) the running. I have cut way back in the last couple weeks (3-4x per week, 6-8 mile runs), so I’m working on it. I’m hoping that this focus for the month will show me that I can still maintain fitness (and lose fat) without the running. (Confession, I ran today.)
You mentioned in an earlier response that you believed long slow cardio was “at the bottom of the barrel for fat loss”, and I’m hoping you can expand on this and explain why. I’d appreciate it and also do you classify road biking (moderate, ~15-17mph) to be in the category of long, slow cardio that does not help fat loss?
Thanks, sorry for the long post!
OMG! I just wrote a friggin’ treatise as a response, hit the Add Comment button, and got kicked off of the Internet! Damn it!
I will reply. . . just not this second as I’m about to let Coda eat my laptop. No later than noon tomorrow. . .promise.
Thanks. Did workout B today, kicked my butt. Actually more like my abs. I am completely convinced I never need to do another crunch or sit-up the rest of my life! So far I’ve managed to restrain myself from any cardio today. Baby steps!
Alright, this won’t be treatise I TRIED to post yesterday, but I hope this answers your question (a great question btw).
Long slow cardio will use calories while you are doing the movement but not after you finish. High intensity circuit training will use calories while you are training AND increase your resting metabolic rate FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. So even though it is possible to expend more calories in an hour long run than a 20 minute circuit DURING THE ACTIVITY, the circuit training will have a greater caloric expenditure in the long run.
But as with everything, you have to experience this for yourself – especially if you are a long time devotee to long slow cardio. Give it a try for 31 days without the long slow work. If you are not pleased with the result and think the long slow stuff worked for you, bring it back.
Thanks Vic. The issue is, I don’t want to feel like I HAVE to do the long slow cardio anymore. I’m hoping that this type of working out / diet will give me the same, if not better, results so that I can limit the long slow cardio to just those times when I WANT to do it for the pure enjoyment. Call me crazy, but at times I really love a long bike ride or run to clear my head. So really this is a true test for me. (Have not run since Tuesday! That’s a long time for me.)
Did workout C today, and I was still sore from yesterday. Made it through 6 sets, with 15 pushups instead of 25 each time. I seem to be stuck at 15.
Diet is going ok. I am shooting for less than 150 grams of carbs per day and I would say I’m consistently keeping under 200 grams. (Darn dark chocolate.) I am at a plateau right now and need to crush it.
Looking forward to Workout D and then a rest day!
Vic,
I’m a vegetarian, and I typically eat cottage cheese to make up some of my protein in the week. I do eat fish for lunch/dinner, but prefer to keep it limited. Is this still ok on this diet/exercise plan?
You should be ok. The only way to know for sure is to weigh yourself in at the same day and time each week and track your diet and training. Not seeing weight loss? Time to tweak the program – and diet is going to be the first place to start. Good luck.
I got the link to this challenge from Mark Sisson, but I didn’t start on time because I had to defend my Ph.D. yesterday. So, after a blowout party last night, it’s time to get serious. (Easy to say after, like, 12 hours on the challenge… I’ll be whining by Friday, I promise you.)
I figure I don’t want to spam the comments with a food log and training log every day, but I do want to keep my progress public, so I’m maintaining a Google doc that publishes to a web page. New information will show up at the top. You can find it here.
The less said about Workout A, the better. Looking forward to Workout B.
Thanks Matt and welcome to the Challenge. No worries about posting your diet and workouts to the comment section, although I appreciate your efforts to keep the comment section streamlined. I’m fine with you posting diet/workouts to comments or providing the link to your Google doc like you have above. It’s up to you, I’ll review either way. Thanks again and good luck.
OK, just read your Google doc and changed my mind. PLEASE post your diet/workout and especially your commentary to the comments section. The fact is that a bunch of people will not click your link. And when they don’t, they are going to miss out on seeing a great example of a detailed log and not get to be entertained by your wit.
Hang in there with the training, the soreness will subside. Try to tighten up your diet a bit. If you are going to use the chocolate milk post workout, limit to half a pint especially if you will be eating other items as well. And try to skip the cheese with the omelet. Remember: all out WAR for 31 days! You can do it.
War. Yes. Speaking of which… I’m not sure how to break this to you. I know that every man faces his mortality in his own way, and no one can predict what he will do until that moment, so I’ll just say it right out:
My quads took out a contract on you, Vic.
I couldn’t stop them. We’d both collapsed after the fourth circuit of Workout B, but they recovered just a moment or two quicker than I did — and before I knew it, they were on the phone with Vito “Meat Sauce” Bolognese on the day of his daughter’s wedding, and you were the target. I would have called him off if I could, but these Jersey thugs know no reason when there is blood in the water. Make your peace with God and flee for the Yukon, is my advice.
… but, until you do so, thanks for the tips — I’ll reduce the dairy, modify the omelet recipe, and post logs to the comments. (Improving meal timing and home-cooking more are also on the list.) Should I just keep updating this thread, or post a new comment with the logs from each day or few?
Three days of logs, in reverse chronological order:
DAY 3 (5/8/09)
9:35 am — breakfast: omelet (3 eggs? and sauteed tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers; salt & pepper), black coffee
12:45 pm — lunch: small cup of tomato basil soup, small Cobb salad (lettuce, celery, eggs, blue cheese, bacon bits), apple, green tea
3:40 pm — workout C
15/max lunges per side, 30 s hopscotch, 25/max pushups, 30 s hopscotch
4 circuits, 13/9/8/6 pushups, 15 lunges each time
two abortive pullups, 35 s plank (shame)
weight: 232
Subjective report: The lunges weren’t as bad as I thought, although I’m not great at calibrating their length yet. Improved a bit on pushups, due more to determination than any increase in strength (or decrease in weight). Hopscotch was slightly less horrible than Wednesday.
4:15 pm — pwo snack: half-pint chocolate milk (1%), banana
9:00 pm — dinner: grilled salmon, sauteed spinach
DAY 2 (5/7/09)
7:50 am — desperation snack: handful of walnuts
8:20 am — breakfast: omelet (2 eggs, ~1/4 cup Jack cheese, olive oil, garlic, jalapenos) with 2-3 tablespoons of guacamole, handful of mixed berries, black coffee.
11:30 am — took my “before” picture. Did you know that poor diet and exercise habits add 20 pounds? Seriously.
11:40 am — workout B
30 s baby burpee, 30 s rest
Did 4 circuits; had to rest about 5 s during the last one because my quads refused to listen to my brain. Panted like a dog for the entire rest interval each time.
Subjective report: Walking like an old man, perhaps one who’s been shot in the leg or gored by a very short moose. I can almost squat my body weight in iron for 5×5 and two minutes of this leaves me shaking like a leaf? What the hell have I been doing with my life?
12:05 pm — pwo lunch: smoothie (ice, 1 banana, ~1/4 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup milk, vanilla extract)
1:00 pm — unloaded a bunch of cookies, cupcakes, and brownies at lab meeting. Ate none. We’re all better off for it.
4:15 pm — snack: small handful of walnuts, handful of mixed berries
4:45 pm — pint of coffee (at the kind of coffee place that serves coffee in pint glasses) w/1 Tbsp skim milk (I had to cool it down to be able to drink it). Watched a friend snarf a blondie and an Italian soda. Felt snotty, hungry.
* Retrospective meditation: Doing a full burpee instead of a baby might actually have been a relief, because it wouldn’t have thrashed my quads so badly. Rep for rep, baby burpees are easier, but for a timed interval, I bet they’re harder. (Feel free to laugh at me if you’ve actually done the comparison; this is rank conjecture here.)
Also, since I apparently am using my food log as a substitute for actual food: Somewhere in his anthology, MAPS IN A MIRROR, Orson Scott Card talks about his own battles with weight. (Orson Scott Card is the author of the science fiction classic ENDER’S GAME, which you should read, and many other optional items; I think this appears in his notes for a story I’m pretty sure is called “Fat Farm.”) He’s apparently swung from skinny-normal to very overweight a few times. Anyway, he talks about how he shed a whole bunch of weight after he and his family moved to a house on top of a hill; there wasn’t much in the fridge, and he had to carry a lot of heavy boxes from the bottom of the hill to the top over the course of several days, and (the key point) *he got comfortable being a little bit hungry.* I have never been comfortable being hungry. One of the things I hate most is the bad breath you get when you’re hungry, which I’m experiencing right now; the feeling in the belly isn’t that bad, actually, but I find the breath incredibly aversive, and drinking water does nothing for it. The guy who wrote the Hacker’s Diet claims that this is the sensation of fat burning. (He also says his weight-loss odyssey involved a period of multiple days where he started smelling like a trash heap. YMMV?) Mark Sisson has talked a little bit about low-carb breath; maybe it’s ketosis or something?
Anyway, speaking of the Hacker’s Diet, I always had trouble going along with it because (a) the guy wasn’t much into fitness, he just wanted to be thin, and (b) his idea of an “eat watch” always suggested to me that you would have to be hungry. If you want to eat after you’ve had enough, but you stop eating because you’ve had enough, you’re hungry. I really, really prefer the orthodoxy of “eat as much as you want of the right things.” (Not that Vic doesn’t have a component of this, but it’s a lot harder for me to find raw or lightly steamed vegetables readily available on campus than it is to find, say, nuts or milk, which might fall under “right things” under other regimes.) But perhaps this attitude resists reality. (The chorus of “duh” may commence.) Perhaps the right thing to do, at least while I’m doing this, is to try to sit with my hunger instead of running away from it. Not only for the proximal goal of reducing calories by, well, not eating as fucking much, but also for the more long-term goal of mastering my responses. I took a mindfulness meditation class last year; I didn’t find it especially useful overall, but it did articulate the useful and retrospectively obvious idea that the way you react to a situation is not determined by the situation. Your mind always mediates stimulus and response (well, except in monosynaptic reflex arcs like the knee-jerk reflex, but we all know that “knee-jerk” isn’t a compliment when applied to complex cognition). We often choose, if often by omission, to react to situations in stereotyped ways. This is not always bad; willpower is a finite resource, and some situations are better handled automatically. But hunger, for better or worse, is at the center of some very complex social, economic, and biological shit, at least as an overfed Westerner in a country that produces 4000 calories per person per day. Our instincts are ill adapted to our environment in this case. How many times, in the last three months (or 29 years, take your pick), have I thought that I just need to get a snack so I can think properly? But my ancestors must have been reasonably good at thinking when they were hungry; if they weren’t, they’d have starved. (This never occurred to me when I was full — which isn’t necessarily to say it never would have.) This mini-essay is not entirely devoid of thought; I’m a little proud of pulling Orson Scott Card, mindfulness meditation, and the summarized philosophies of two or three online fitness gurus together into a nearly coherent little package. While hungry.
So. View this as an exercise in discovery. What is it like to be hungry? What is it like to accept it and, eventually, ignore it? Is it like what you were afraid it would be like?
… or does it just make you really introspective and verbose?
… whatever it takes, man; whatever it takes.
(Actually, I am a little alarmed at the intensity of my navel-gazing over the last 24 hours. But as I just indicated — if this is my methadone, so be it.)
9:45 pm — dinner: big salad (field greens w/lentils, carrots, eggplant, vinaigrette), stir-fried chicken (leftover)
* Portion size was a little excessive here, but overall ingredient profile was good, and I was hungry again in 30 minutes — which may or may not mean anything.
DAY 1 (5/6/09)
10:30 am — breakfast: 1 banana, coffee w/half & half, handful of mixed berries
1:15 pm — lunch: Mongolian beef*, stir-fried eggplant, double handful of mixed berries
* I’m mostly vegetarian, but I’m not going to waste P. F. Chang’s leftovers — that’s just wrong. Note, in my defense, that I left the garlic noodles alone.
6:00 pm — workout A
25/max squats, 30 s hopscotch, 25/max pushups, 30 s hopscotch.
Did 4 intervals, 25 squats in each, 10/8/6/7 pushups, ~1:00 rest b/t circuits.
Subjective report: Vic Magary is a bad man. P.S. I am weak. And slow. Apparently I am doing this for a reason.
Weight: 228
6:45 pm — pwo snack: 1 apple w/PB, 1 pint chocolate milk
9:00 pm — dinner (Panera): French onion soup (no croutons), Greek salad, apple
11:30 pm — unplanned deviation: one chocolate chip cookie, sent by a friend in celebration of my defense. She sent me a shit-ton; my plan is to donate the rest to the guts and asses of my department, rather than contributing them to my own.
Matt, please place each entry in a separate comment as we will have a “nesting” issue otherwise.
Yes, I believe you should feel a bit hungry when on a weight loss course. Not in an agonizing way, but in a way that is a clear indication that you are using more calories than you are ingesting. And that is really the only way to lose weight.
As far as bad breath, I always just blamed mine on all of the black coffee I drink. . .
And yes, I am a bad man. And so are you! Get a little “I’m a bad ass attitude” and show this Challenge (and the chocolate chip cookie) who the damn boss is.
Oh, and the pain will subside. Maybe by like, week three.
Hi Vic – can you also give some advice / recommendation for daily calories, fat, carbs & protein? I have read the sample diet plan and I get it, it would be helpful to me to have some daily ranges / goals for each so that I can substitute when needed. Thanks!
Sorry Monica, but I don’t count calories or protein, carb, or fat grams. I’m serious when I say this and not trying to be sarcastic or a jerk in any way (we lose so much communication in writing like facial expressions and vocal tone), you need to eat less now than you have been if weight loss is your goal. And that’s the main “calculation” you need.
Keep your portions small for all things except fruits and vegetables. Especially those leafy green veggies, eat as much raw or lightly steamed as you like. If you are very hungry, eat an apple and drink a large glass of water.
Not knowing your current height, weight, activity level, or age, it’s tough to give a number anyway. The closest I’ll come is saying that as a female interested in losing weight you probably need to keep your daily caloric count at less than 2000. Sorry I can’t (won’t) be more specific.
Fine. Be that way.
Vic,
I’m dying…2000 calories?? Really?? As a 5′2″ 115 lb woman (age 42) who just took 4 flippin months of running 35-40 miles a week to lose 22 lbs, I can assure you that 2000 calories is way too many. I am so not into starving myself, and these comments here have been very informative and interesting (I love the whole body cue thing: eat less than you have been//eat lean and healthy//be a bit hungry…you’ll be okay) but I have to disagree with you on calories. (should be closer to 1400-1600) One of the things I’m looking forward to after I lose this last 10 lbs of fat, is to burn enough calories with my workouts so that I CAN eat 2000-2400 calories of good food a day.
I ran my marathon on May 17th and am nursing my hip and learning your exercises this past week; I look forward to doing the fat loss challenge (gym) on my own during June.
NOTE: As fate would have it, on the week ends of my 2 medium runs (15 miles) and 2 long runs (23 and 20) prior to my marathon, I had some sort of family/special event where there was beaucoup food. Despite my huge caloric expenditure from running, and despite the fact that I was slightly overeating, but not gorging…I gained a pound or two each one of those week-ends. It’s the damn simple carbs…they are just flat out evil. I watch them, in general, but I will be a nazi in June.
Marie
Yeah, I agree. 2,000 is probably too much. I’m just not into calorie counting. Ever. So my initial reply was flawed.
You are correct about those simple carbs. I’ve found with client after client (and myself) that they are the culprit when it comes to gaining fat. Good luck with your fat loss goals in June!
Hi Vic,
Thanks for the plan, diet and motivation. Starting this late because I found it late (from Mark Sisson’s blog).
Workout A yesterday: barely managed 6 sets – wanted to quit after 4. I guess getting to 8 sets by the end of the month will be a good progress marker. After about set 3 I was doing the push-ups off my knees (another possible progress marker).
Workout B this morning: got to 4 sets and chickened out. Excuses like ‘it was 6am and before breakfast’ occur to me, but really it’s just that burpies, even baby ones, really hurt. Will. Do. Better. Next. Time.
Questions:
– Was I right to drop to knee push-ups in order to get the volume in the last sets of workout A, or would 8-10 full push-ups have been better?
– I’m currently training for some swim events. The training is mixed intensity and about an hour, 2-3 times per week. I’m reluctant to drop it because a lot of swimming is technique, and a month off is enough to start going backwards. Should I double up, cut back on the bodyweight training, or rethink the swimming?
Thanks again, Will.
If you are doing 8 – 10 pushups from the toes, I’d stay there and not go to the knee.
I would not cut back on the swimming. I’d try to spread the swimming and GymJunkies workouts as far apart as possible (swim early morning, GJ workout mid evening maybe). If you cut back anywhere, cut back on the GymJunkies workouts if you feel your body needs a rest.
Will that effect your weight loss? Maybe. But will cutting back the swimming effect your event performance? Almost certainly. You have to make the choice that is right for you.
Part !: What to do about muscle soreness? I forgot how very, very bad it can be. Stretching does not seem to help.
and B: How much carbohydrate are we talking here? I don’t eat the crappy stuff anyway, so no problem with whole wheat pasta, etc. But last night I had to have some carbs (not a craving, pretty much medical) and don’t want to be agonizing about “cheating” (was already in enough agony).
For soreness, low dose ibuprofen can be effective.
Remember you can eat as much vegetables and most fruits (apples are my go-to) as you want. Try fruits and vegetables to stave off any carbohydrate needs before resulting to the grain based variety when possible. When you do need to ingest the typical carbohydrate sources, keep the portion small and don’t beat yourself up about “cheating”.
Hi Vic
Day 3 and I have to say I hate lunges!! lol Gimme squats anytime….:)
Up to 25 push ups in one go after having to have a break in workout A. I’m dead at the end of it, but real happy about it too!
I’m really pleased that I’ve managed to lose the 4lbs of water/glycogen weight I put on on my binge weekend away (4days). PLUS have lost another 1lb! Wooohooo! (in only 3 days!)
This has been my schedule:
Wake up – drink green/black tea, check emails etc
Workout (in a fasted state as I prefer to workout in morn, is that ok? or is it better to eat something pre workout?)
Breakfast – 30g oat flake cereal + 25g berries + half banana + semi skim milk (just enough to cover cereal)
Lunch – onion, spinach, tomato omelette with 2 eggs (yum, love this
Dinner – chicken/steak/salmon + steamed green veg + roast squash
Supper – full fat yogurt/fruit corner
This is pretty low calorie (about 1100) as I’m only 4.11 and need to watch calories as well as carbs at my height
I know I shouldn’t be eating the yogurt but I’m paranoid about getting enough calcium at my age! (45yrs)
How does that sound?
Tusc
oh! I chuck 3 or 4 almonds in with my breakfast
Tusc, sounding pretty good! If you are knocking out 25 full range push ups on the regular, you are doing awesome! And if those are from the knees, it’s time to do some from the toes.
If that yogurt serving is pretty small (and I’m guessing so with your 1100 calorie count), and you are seeing the weight come off, I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
Keep up the great work!
Nope, push ups are all on toes now! I started them that way about 3 months ago and its pretty amazing how much stronger I’ve got and feel! Loving my improved shoulder and back definition too
All down to you as you told me to try them ‘man’ style a few months ago
Thanks
Tusc
Hi Vic – Day 3 write-up.
6 sets. Did all the 15 lunges per leg in each set. Technique definitely got harder through the set, and I started wobbling and leaning by the end. My knees felt solid though so it never felt unsafe.
Full range push-ups from toes went 20 – 20 – 15 – 15 – 10 – 10. Chest started off sore and got sorer… and I noticed my hand spacing got a little wider by the end. I guess my triceps were getting tired too.
Diet good but not awesome. Too many carbs at lunch with a falafel pita and salad – the rest of the day was spot on though. Fruit, 10 brazil nuts, and fish for dinner with a big vege stir fry and no starch.
I’m going to hit the gym tomorrow and do the squat-jumps alongside some assisted pull-ups. I need about 30lb assist, and I figure a few sets of those will earn me the day off. Oh, and I also need to move about a cubic meter of firewood, so I get to do some deadlifts too!
Sounding good, Will. Be sure to weigh in once per week at the same day and time and let us know how your progress in going. Keep up the good work!
Did workout D today. Wow, never thought squat jumps could be so hard. I could only make it through 6 sets, and I would consider myself a pretty in-shape person. Not the right shape I guess! I am ready for a rest day tomorrow, still feeling it from yesterday and the baby burpee workout. Good news, no long slow cardio slip-ups! Have a great weekend!
Monica, it sounds like things are going good. Enjoy your day of rest, keep the diet tight, and let us all know how your progress is going.
My sister sent me this in a link – dare I try this??? ZOMG! I’ve read all the comments and I’m looking for something to jump start me on the right path to fitness. I get so bored with exercising so easily that I never can stick to anything. I actually did weight watchers for a a few months and ended up losing 30lbs, but – again, I got bored with that too. *sigh* What is it about exercise that makes you not wanna stick to it? I really would like to lose weight by dancing up a storm in my house, but I guess that’s not possible.
Self-discipline is the thing for me, too. I want that sexy, glamorous body, but I say “no” to myself in so many ways that when it comes to something as simple, natural, and logical as food – I balk at the thought of denying myself in this area. And my body shows that.
I’m excited – reading all these comments is wonderful. And the idea of a 31-day shred-a-thon is really appealing. What happens on Day 32? I guess I’ll try to see when I get there. I wish I’d not gotten bored with weight watchers and it DID work for me.
I think I’m gonna give this insane workout a try. I can tell it’s intense by the surprised comments on the people here that are ALREADY in shape! I daren’t post any pictures of myself or anything though. I wish I was brave enough to as I think that really helps people.
Wish me luck! I’m shaking already.
Welcome ppodd! I think dancing up a storm sounds like a great way to exercise! In fact if dancing is something you enjoy, be sure to add it to your fitness regimen. I’ll go as far as to say that any workout that says “hopscotch” you have my blessing to replace with “dancing up a storm”.
But you must also incorporate resistance training (whether bodyweight or free weights) and I strongly recommend high intensity circuit training for weight loss.
All the dancing and training in the world will not negate a poor diet. There is no getting around the fact that what you eat is the biggest factor in your weight loss quest.
Do your best. It’s only 31 days! And don’t worry about day 32 yet. Hell, don’t even worry about day 31. Just focus on today.
Oh man – I definitely didn’t loose 4 pounds last week! But as I’m writing this I see that there is a half-drunk beer sitting next to me, so maybe that’s why. Anyway, it is cool to hear about the success of others. I’m ready for workout G!
Oh my god. Workout G is the most painful thing that has happened to me in recent memory.
Oh yes, Tabata intervals have humbled many a first timer. Including myself. The first time I tested Tabatas was just with bodyweight squats and I was sore for days. Gotta love it.
Do your best to tighten up that diet. People are having awesome weight loss results already and although I’d like to take credit with my awesome workout programing (patting self on back right. . . now!), the fact is that diet is the most important factor in losing weight. Good luck!
Ok, need to fess up. Had a terrible night tonight. Went to play indoor soccer (on a co-ed league, usually fun) we got killed & I played like crap. So to celebrate I came home & totally blew the diet. As a result I’m going to start posting my daily intake so I can be more accountable. I am so stuck at a plateau right now it gets frustrating. I lost about 10 lbs since March and just can’t seem to break through that number. Oh, maybe it would help if I actually got through a week without falling off the wagon?!?! I’ve got no problem working out, love that part, but need to get the eating under control. My weigh-in will be Sunday night, so we’ll see if I can overcome this temporary setback.
“Fall down seven times, get up eight” is an old Zen saying that I’ve posted in comments before. It makes no mathematical sense but its meaning is clear – don’t quit, even when you falter.
You can get back on track. And please post your daily training and diet to the comments if it will help keep you on track. You can do it, Monica!
Hi Vic — Day 4 write up:
7 sets of squat-jumps hurt like hell. My quads were nearly rebelling as I walked back up the gym stairs.
Followed it with 5 sets x 3 reps pull-up, with 30lb assist.
Then 5 sets of 30 second sprint, 30 second recovery just to earn the day off.
Weight today is 87.2kg == 192lb so let’s see where it is in a week.
Cheers, Will
Sounds like training is going good, Will. Keep up the great work!
Vic, I had a quick question about form on the baby burpees (and I suppose regular burpees by extension). When you demonstrate form on normal squats, you’re careful to say that the knees should stay in line with the toes and not go over. But when I’m doing the burpees, I can’t get my hands to the ground unless I lean my knees forward, past my toes. Is this likely to do my knees an injury? Should I be focusing more on getting my flexibility up so I can squat deeper and be closer to the ground when I lean forward, or maybe spread my feet more so I can get a deeper squat for the first part of the motion? Please advise!
I’m greatly enjoying the challenge otherwise. I’d been eating really clean for awhile, but then fell into the “one bite of [candy/cake/bread] won’t hurt!” trap. Being super-strict to get back into the swing of things is really working out for me!
Thanks!
Ellen M
Hi Ellen! Thanks for the awesome question. The answer lies in the difference in heel placement and weight disbursement. During the squat, your heels should be flat on the ground and all of your weight should be focused on them. In this position, the knees should track the toes, being careful not to buckle to the inside not move to a point where the knees are over the toes.
In the squat portion of the baby burpee, you should be on the balls of the feet and the weight should only be bared in this position very briefly as your hands meet the floor and pick up much of the weight.
But the bottom line is you should listen to your body. Do your knees hurt when doing the baby burpee? If they do, you need to adjust your technique or possibly avoid the movement. If the above explanation does not clear things up, please post follow up questions in the comments.
Also, glad to hear your diet is on track. Keep it up and let us know about your progress.
That makes a lot of sense and I know what you mean. I was having trouble with them before (a little pain in my tricky knee) but I did one just now to adjust my form a little, keeping my weight more forward for that part of the movement, and the difference is super–no bad pain at all. Thank you so much!
Goooood Lord! I can’t beleive how much those squat jumps hurt on top of the lunges!! My legs have gone numb!!
Vic – my dear – you are definitely a sadist!!! LOL!!
Ok, my question is:
When having difficulty with the 30 seconds squat jump, would you jump ‘quickly’ until you lose form, so maybe only doing 20 seconds at high intensity OR would you jump slower (doing less jumps) for the whole 30 secs??
hope that makes sense?
Yours heart thumping! (thats not cos I love you, which of course I do…lol….that’s cos my heart is hitting my rib cage on a daily basis doing these workouts!)
Rest day today…wooo hooo!!
Tusc
Hi Tusc, thanks for the great question! The point of the drill is to accelerate the heart rate. So, the first description of the drill you gave is the preferred method: Do as many as you can as fast as you can until you lose form, rest, and get back to work if there is any time remaining in the 30 second interval.
During the 30 second work interval you want to do as much work as possible, but you are permitted to rest during that time. Just rest as little as possible.
Super! Makes complete sense. Thanks Vic.
I really am enjoying the workouts in spite of my moans and groans!….lol
Tusc
My biggest problem with this is likely going to be the diet aspect of it. The workouts thus far have been tough to push through, but mentally I have done them. The diet thing just, whenever I try to really reduce or change what I eat, I never follow it, so I don’t like the idea of forcing myself to do a diet like this. I’ve slowly changed my diet this year. Dropped soda completely, adding apples/fruit instead of fatty snacks and have tried to eat better portions of food for meals, while still eating what I want.
For a situation like this, would it be OK to continue with my slow cardio in addition to these workouts? Since I’ve been losing 2 pounds a week doing 4-5 days of slow cardio and only these slight changes to my diet…I basically just want to add some kind of workouts to the slow cardio.
so, I guess what I’m asking is, is there a point to trying this if I’m not going to get serious with the diet, or would I just waste my time?
Thanks.
Allen, if you are losing 2 pounds per week then keep doing what you are doing diet wise. Adding the bodyweight cicuit training to your long slow cardio should prove beneficial.
What I have provided in these workouts are guidelines, not gospel. Do I think you will see the best results if you follow my instructions to the letter? Yes. Do I think you can see some results if you pick and chose certain aspects as you see fit? Probably.
Personally, I’m just a black and white kind of guy. Do it or don’t do it. Give me the green light or the red light, but don’t give me the damned yellow one. But that’s just me. . . you have to do what is right for you.
Ok, Vic, here I am day 5. Not expecting miracles, BUT… I have been a very good girl, dropped my carbs way, way down, total calories are low (I keep track using the WeightWatchers points, just with your food), have been doing the workouts. Result so far is that I am still so sore I hesitate before crouching to pick something up (going down stairs is still a wincing experience), I have no energy, my mind is really fuzzy AND (here’s the best part) I haven’t dropped an ounce.
Again, I know it is early, but I think I am clearly doing something wrong. I think I have fallen into the not eating enough trap. Today will be a day off from the diet, the kids are happily downstairs preparing a Mother’s Day breakfast that I am sure will scare the pants off me. But when I get back on the horse tomorrow, any suggestions? I probably will need a few twigs and leaves days to recover, and I am willing to be sore and hungry, but not if it means no results!
For the record, I have “easily” lost weight twice; once on WW while nursing my daughter, and the second time on WW but every Friday I had beer/wine and homemade pizza.
I don’t know if this is enough info to provide advice, but I need either that or some encouragement! Or at least a measure of how many more days to do this before making an adjustment. Thanks!
Jane, post at least one day (preferably 3 days) of exactly what you ate and what time you ate it for me to give you some better advice. Too many people are seeing great results by following the challenge, for you to not see ANY. Give me a detailed food log and we’ll try to figure it out.
And don’t give up! I’ve certainly had client situations where there is no weight loss (even a weight GAIN on rare occasion) the first two weeks and then all of a sudden the weight starts coming off. Stay the course. There is no denying that proper diet and exercise leads to weight loss. You can do it.
Thanks for the quick reply, and since I am stuck in Mother’s Day bed with Mother’s Day purring cat, I will return the favor!
Times are approximate, since I didn’t really track those. And I may accidentally leave out some plain veggie snacks, since I don’t tend to record them (they are freebies!)
Day 1 (Wednesday):
7 AM-ish: 1 c. strawberries
workout
8 AM: 1/2 c. grapenuts, 1/2 c. soymilk, 1 T. ground flaxseed
2 c. low-calorie chicken or beef soup (Progresso brand, 2 WW points)
1.5 c broccoli
1/4 c. almonds
small can tuna
7 PM large green salad, balsamic dressing (about 2 T), cukes and tomatoes
Plain boca burger
9 PM scant cup bran flakes, 1/2 c. skim milk (was having a horrible acid reflux attack that was not responding to antacids)
Day 2
8 AM 2 eggs with spinach and onions
workout
Grapenuts, soy milk, flax seed (as above)
Small green salad
2 c. soup as above
8 almonds
1/2 c. fat free yogurt; 1/2 c. blueberries
Broccoli sprinkled with nutritional yeast
7 PM 2 c. chili (tomatoes, onions, black and kidney beans, TVP, no added fat)
9 PM 4 ribs celery w 2T natural peanut butter
Day 3:
Small banana
1/8 cup almonds
workout
Grapenuts as above
1 eggplant pan cooked with 1 T peanut oil
1/2 c. yogurt, 1/2 c. blueberries
Broccoli w/nutritional yeast
6 PM “Pizza salad”, HUGE green salad (4 c. lettuce) w tomatoes, onions, olives, turkey pepperoni, few croutons, balsamic vinegrette, some low-fat feta cheese
9 PM (I was STARVING) small can tuna w/1 t mayo and six Triscuts
I drink only hot and cold tea. I am not sneaking bites of anything. My tiredness and mental fuzziness (I am borderline non-functional!) make me think I am missing something. I have been taking ibuprofen for the muscle soreness.
Sorry everyone else for the eternally long post!
oops, day 3 I also had a large apple after my salad (Friday nights are hard).
I am not a big protein eater and have always been a big carb eater (not the white stuff). Before when I have wanted to lose weight I have cut carbs, but not this much, and upped veggies. Usually not much for the fruit. I could live my life with whole grain carbs and veggies and some soy protein with dabs of dairy and the occasional Pattycake cookie!!
Time to go workout
Jane, if you did not see any weight loss I would recommend reducing your carbs more. Stick with the lean meats and all of the veggies you want. But the triscuits, croutons, feta, beans, bran flakes, and boca burger are my guess where the adjustment should be made. You can do it!
Hiya Vic!
Day 6: Wow really needed that day off.
Today, lunges were fine; baby burpies were evil hard. Completed 5 good sets before my form went rubbish and I gave up.
Diet pretty good; a bit too much carb yesterday with the awesome home-made bread at the tapas restaurant. If I don’t lose any weight I’ll know what to cut!
Yes, take those rest days as rest. And don’t beat yourself up about the bread; get back on track, and stay the course for the rest of the month. Only 20 days to go!
I’ve lost a pound since I started this workout, I wasn’t sure if I would lose weight or gain for this first week especially so I was pleasantly surprised when I jumped on the scale! My diet and workouts haven’t been spot on for the week though as I mentioned earlier I had exams so was still eating carbs for breakfast. I’ve cut those out now from today. I had friends come to visit for from Thurs to Sunday night, so I ate some foods that I wouldn’t have eaten if I had been by myself. I also skipped 2 workouts(Fri and Sat) since I didn’t have any time but my frends and I did do lots of walking as we went out sightseeing.
Ready to get back to work though, I totally missed doing the workouts for those 2 days. I was wondering which plan you would suggest as I still want to make up the missed workouts. So should I do 2 workouts a day(morn/evening) until I catch up or continue 1 a day until I catch up? Thanks!
To add to my earlier comment I meant doing 1 workout a day skipping the rest days until I catch up? THanks
Cindy, I wouldn’t worry about trying to play catch up. Just get back on track from this day forward and do your best for the rest of the challenge. Your body needs the rest days to recoup. Especially if you are really pushing yourself during the workouts.
A few questions that have been on my mind:
- Why avoid dairy? Is it because of the calories or the lactose?
- Why is every one of these workouts so hard on my quads? I can squat 200+ lbs for 5×5 (real squats, ass as close to grass as flexibility permits); why hasn’t that transferred?
- Is the gym workout likely to be more efficient for fat loss than the bodyweight workout, assuming I do something reasonably intense for the OYO days? (For me, the bodyweight workout is new, whereas I’ve been doing big compound movements in the gym for a while, so that might change the answer.)
Interested to hear your thoughts. I’ll post more logs soon. Thanks!
Dairy has a very high carbohydrate count which is the main reason why I suggest limiting it to post workout or in small amounts for snacks.
Your 5×5 workouts are great for strength, but not so much for muscle endurance. Ideally you would train across a broad spectrum of fitness modes. But for the 31 day challenge, I’ve limited the programs to one area of focus.
I would agree that the gym workout is likely more effective for fat loss. Especially considering the use of intense OYO days.
Thanks and keep the questions coming!
Awesome. All useful information. Thanks!
I’ll have to do some thinking about the gym workout. I like the ability to do the bodyweight workout wherever I want, and I like the novelty of the exercises… but I would like to chisel my gut away faster rather than slower.
Ok, Vic, I’m just gonna assume Cody ate your modem
Anybody have any suggestions for what I can eat this Thursday when I will be forced to eat at Perkins? Would a Cobb salad minus bacon and cheese be good? Or should I try a side salad with a vegetable soup? I know many of the “healthy” entrees are not at all.
Oh, and if anyone else is having muscle agony, I started taking ibuprofen and calcium right after a workout and that seems to be helping a lot. Hopefully I’ll get my strength back up soon and be good to go!
“Salad with grilled chicken, no cheese, dressing on the side.” I spit this out on autopilot when I’m at a restaurant and trying to get lean.
Thanks for sharing what is working for with the muscle soreness!
And the last thing Coda ate was the electrical cord to my living room lamp. The internet cable can’t be far behind!
All right, back on track somewhat today. Was too chicken to weigh myself so I will do that tomorrow. Did Workout D today, 8 sets. Same as the rest, my quads are really sore. I also went for a run today (!), and then tried my old standby for soreness, sat in a cold bath for 10-15 minutes. I am feeling better this evening, I recommend this for those of you that might not want to take ibuprofen all the time. Warning though, it’s not fun while you are doing it. I recommend keeping your upper body covered (towel or shirt) and having something warm to drink! The water should be as cold as you can stand it, and it helps if you get into the tub as it’s filling up. If you are brave enough to add ice, then have at it.
Diet today was not great, but not blown either: 2650 total calories, 315g carbs, 119g protein. My goals are 2000-2500 cal/day, <150g carbs/day, and 100-125g protein/day. I don’t care about fat (should I?) Vic, I know you are not a fan of counting like this, but this helps me. I have lost 9 lbs so far with these goal levels, however I may have hit a plateau. I know, perhaps I should try to cut the calories down? I should also mention that I am 5′10″ and 150lbs (my plateau), with a pretty muscular frame. Thanks!
I should also clarify that I lost 9 lbs in April, and not since the beginning of May!
Congrats on your 9 pound loss. If you have hit a plateau, then I would try reducing the calorie count. And if you’re going to count them, I’d test a week under 2000 calories per day and see how it goes.
Thanks for your tips on relieving the soreness. It seems to be running rampant for many of the challengers!
Three days of logs below. Pretty mortifying performance over the weekend; don’t think I’m unaware of that. I keep hearing willpower is like a muscle; maybe training it to failure is a good thing? Come on, that’s a pretty creative excuse…
I think that, in reality, I’ve lost three pounds over the challenge so far, but it looks like I gained four because I weighed in at 228 on Day 1 when I’d been at or around 235 for weeks. In any event, I plan to get below that fluke 228 measurement before this is over.
===
DAY 6 (5/11/09)
9:00 am — breakfast: omelet (2 eggs, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt, pepper), handful of cherries, black coffee
12:30 pm — lunch: big salad (field greens, tuna, chick peas, kidney beans, carrots, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette), a bit of “Thai cucumber salad” (mostly cucumbers, olive oil, garlic, sesame seeds), apple
3:30 pm — snack: banana, small handful of walnuts
5:00 pm — workout E
10 lunges/side, 10 baby burpees
5 circuits. Intermittent rest (1-5 s) between exercises and during the baby burpees when I was afraid I would fall down. (Post-workout soreness is way down in general, though.)
Plank 50 s, assisted pull-ups 4, 1 @ BW-50
Weight: 232
6:00 pm — pwo snack: apple, 8 oz. 1% milk, 4 walnuts, black coffee
9:00 pm — dinner: sauteed tofu w/peanut sauce (tofu, peanut oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, tamari, scallions) over sauteed cabbage (not nearly as gross as it might sound if you put a little soy sauce and rice vinegar on it).
DAY 5 (5/10/09)
REST DAY
9:00 am — breakfast: apple w/almond butter
11:30 am — lunch: dim sum (mostly shrimp and vegetables, but definitely some fried wheaty stuff — I tried to keep that to a minimum)
4:00 pm — snack: apple, small handful of walnuts
6:00 pm — snack: a few Triscuits & con queso dip (cheese, scallions, guacamole, tomatoes, scallions, chipotle aioli?), glass of prosecco.
7:00 pm — dinner: Indian food, one glass of white wine. Stuck mostly to grain-free stuff — a little bit of saag paneer and shrimp tikka masala, a lot of chick peas and okra, 2-3 servings of salad with greens, mushrooms, avocado, vinaigrette. No rice, but a small serving of an appetizer that had a few crunchy noodly things in it, and one slice of potato paratha.
8:00 pm — dessert, planned: one slice of cake, small bowl of (homemade) strawberry ice cream.
DAY 4 (5/9/09)
10:30 am — breakfast: apple with almond butter; handful of blueberries; chocolate croissant (brought by wife as a nice gesture, so I caved… dammit).
12:00 pm — workout D
30 s squat jumps, 30 s rest
Did four circuits. There was a point in each one after the first where I had to stop for a second or two because, similar to Thursday, my quads weren’t listening to my brain.
Pursuant to Vic’s update yesterday: I definitely feel and feel like I look a bit tighter; my jeans seem a little looser, etc. (Some of this may be a visual-somatosensory hallucination having to do with the fact that my abs, quads, and ass are stiff and sore from being beaten like gongs on four consecutive days.) This is often the point at which I start feeling good about myself and slackening up. I’m going to try to be mindful of that habit and maintain intensity. This will be hard with Mothers’ Day tomorrow (and festive meals with both my mom and mother-in-law), but I think I’ve actually been a little bit good about keeping up my willpower in party settings (n=1, anyway), so I have high hopes of restricting myself to a small setback.
12:30 pm — pwo lunch: smoothie (1 banana, 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/3 cup whole milk, ice, vanilla extract)
4:40 pm — snack: apple, small handful of walnuts
9:00 pm — dinner: grilled salmon, handful of cherries
later — went over to a friend’s, ended up eating cookies & ice cream, drinking beer. All in moderation (especially the beer), and all homemade (including the beer), hence the difficulty of refusing. Still… far from a shining moment. Previous bit about “good about keeping up my willpower” was written before this occurred. Going to have to adjust how I respond to social pressures, express or (mostly) implied.
I’m with you on the social pressures. It’s tough to be at someone’s house and refuse the food they’re providing…
Yes, you are eating too much for ideal weight loss conditions. But you have to live life too. I’ve presented this challenge as all out war for 31 days. Only 31 days! How you interpret that, and how closely you stick to the recommendations, is up to you. I’m here to answer your questions either way.
Do your best!
Thanks for the encouragement. My best is slowly improving.
Other than the obvious crap, is there anything non-obvious I should cut back on — e.g. sub a vegetable for a fruit in one of the snacks, cut nuts from one of the snacks, cut one of the snacks entirely? I guess I’m not sure about the ideal balance to strike between eating frequently and eating less, or how important it is to have some protein and fat for the snacks. (There probably isn’t a Platonic answer to this question, but even ballpark estimates are helpful.)
Ok, I can try to cut the carbs lower for a few days. But I am hesitant, since I am UP HALF A POUND, lethargic and fuzzy headed. I’ve tried to write this several times, but I end up whining, so suffice to say I am frustrated. I read other posters logs and they are eating much more than me… what gives? Sorry, whining again.
Today’s workout C was scuttled when on the third lunge something just gave out (tore?) in one leg. It still hurts, just sitting still two hours later. The last time I did lunges (day 1?) no problem.
Monica, I don’t like taking much medication at all and was planning to wean off over the next three days. I’d quit outright but I am afraid a good workout will cause another round of inflammation and I’ll spend another three days unable to walk. But I almost SCREAMED at your ice bath suggestion
I have been in medically urgent situations (hemorrhaging) where I have been told to use ice packs and I can’t bring myself to do it. I’d literally rather die than get in an ice bath. If we ever met in battle you could clearly kick my ass… but why expend the energy when you could just throw a cold drink on me?
Jane – That made me laugh out loud, thanks! I didn’t say it was fun, I have been know to use expletives and even scream while doing it, I hate being cold. And to clarify, I have yet to actually use ice, only cold water. The only thing that keeps me going back to it is that it works. Let me know if you try it!
Hi Jane
Hope you don’t mind me butting in, but just wanted to say if you’re anything like me then salt will make me retain water and therefore the scales won’t move. I reckon your low calorie soup (usually anything ‘low calorie’ is high salt!) And anything processed is high in salt. I’m a Brit, so not sure what a boca burger is, but imagine it’s processed? Even if I make my own soup with stock I will retain water as the stock contains a lot of salt. Cut the salt and drink lots of water and the scales will move in a few days
You’re much better off eating a large tin of tuna at these times with lots of fresh vegetables. Dont you like roast chicken? Lean steak? Salmon? White fish? Filling up on decent protein 3x day will also stop the hunger pangs!
Unused Carbs (glycogen) also make you retain water! Which is why cutting them out shows good weight loss, especially in the first week of a diet. But I can never go totally without carbs (I feel like killing someone after 2 days…lol) so I make sure I get my fill after a workout (oat cereal, berries, banana – all pretty high carb), which basically uses them up, as per Vic’s instructions. Snack on fruit so you get decent carbs throughout the day. Should keep the fuzzyness away too?
Hope that helps. I’m sure you’ll lose weight on Vic’s diet. So really it’s just watching the water retention i.e salt and carb intake.
Sorry to hear about your leg. Hope its nothing serious
Regards and good luck
Tusc
Hey Tusc! No, I do not mind “butting in” at all! Thanks for the reminder about the sodium; I am a very salty person. You take away my chocolate and my toast and my cereal and my beans? You are NOT taking my salt.
But I do need to probably double what I am drinking to make up for it.
I really need to think hard on what is going to work for me here. We are not big meat eaters at all; virtually no red meat; chicken and fish difficult to do healthy and edible at the same time. (I have four kids complicating matters.) Lots of ground turkey, but Vic has nixed my chili and I know spaghetti is out! I have never gained weight when I have done WW. I haven’t been hungry so much as half dead.
I think my leg is fine. I think it was actually a cramp, but I didn’t realize that until hours later.
A Boca burger is a vegan soy burger. Low calorie and fat and 18 grams protein. Yep, I looked at they are high in sodium, but only 8 grams carbohydrate, 5 of which are fiber! What is the deal Vic! Why can’t I have those??
So as I am thinking, is it possible that my grain carbohydrate is too high to speed weight loss, but my total caloric intake is still to low? So maybe I should swap out a carb serving for 2 protein servings? I’m already hitting about ten servings of fruit/veggies a day.
Ok, enough from me.
Please keep in mind that you do not have to follow a single recommendation that I have made. Not a one. Many people are having great success with the plans I’ve laid out. People have lost 4, 6, 10 and even 11 pounds in the first week.
But I bet there are others just like you who have not lost anything or even gained a pound. They just haven’t chimed in.
You have to find what works for you. I’ve given my recommendations based on what I have found to be most effective among my private clients and now the participants of this challenge. But if it’s not working for you, then don’t do it. But find what does work for you.
Hi Vic,
Day 7 Workout F: Managed 168 squat jumps in the 10 minutes with pretty good form. Hard to walk afterwards. Still can’t get my hips below my knees (true for normal weighted squats too) so I did some stretching afterwards. I think it’s all about flexibility.
Tabata tonight looks… um… fun?
Oh my word, that hurt.
Tabata hopscotch – no worries.
Tabata squats – hard, but doable.
Tabata burpies – ouch. Failed to even move on the 5th set, then got back on it.
Tabata press-ups were the worst 4 minutes of my entire year. By the last set I managed 4 reps off my knees. Then I died.
Thanks Vic!
Sounds like you did the drill as intended! Anyone who says they don’t have time to work out need only experience Tabata burpies one time.
hi Vic,
Some of the workouts say to do 25 pushups or as many as possible. I can do 10-12 true (toe) pushups or 24-25 knee pushups. Which is preferable for this exercise?
I would actually split it. Do the push ups from the toes for the first two sets and then from the knees for the remaining sets. Thanks for the great question!
Vic I am a brand new weight loss attempt and I have a few questions first off I quit smoking 6 weeks ago and haven’t worked out in 10 years and am planning even though late in the month to do this home beginner no equipment, however I have a very important question what can be done in place of the push-ups? I have 2 pins in my left arm that prevents me from fully bending it to do a proper push up.
For the purposes of the 31 day plan, I would just skip them instead of trying to replace them.
These workouts are designed in large part to crank your heart rate. You can do that just fine with nothing but the lower body movements. This may not be ideal for overall fitness, but will be fine for weight loss and also given you situation with the pins in the arm and recent return to exercise after a long layoff.
And big congrats on the quitting smoking! THE most important thing you could have done for you health and fitness!
Awww, I’m feeling unwell today, can’t stop sneezing and my head is banging. Think I’m going to take the day off and tackle the tabata tomorrow. What a shame
Tusc
Get well and get back on track. . . we’ll be here when you’re ready.
I did my first Tabata workout yesterday, the hopscotch and squats were fine, but the burpees and pushups madness!!! I was huffing and puffing right through those sets and I could totally feel my muscle failing on me during the pushups and could barely make it back up to complete them… Today now, my thighs are killing me though, they were already sore yesterday from the squat jumps and the squats yesterday didn’t help that at all. I am kind of happy about the muscle soreness though as it’s my inner thights that hurt and very few exercises I did in the past gave me soreness there, so hopefully I can tighten up that area during this challenge.
Sounds good Cindy! Tabata intervals are tough for sure!
Just wanted to post the progress i’ve noticed this week, haven’t posted anything yet.
Last week workout B i could only do 4 rounds before i wanted to choke but this week i did all 8!
Also, i just bought 2-25lb weight plates for my bar at home and was so excited to do some real deadlifts that I started doing them like a mad woman at 10 o’clock at night(normally my bedtime). I did too many, my lower back is killing me but you can’t stop me once i get excited.
I have my sister doing these workouts too but she only does them the days i come over.
Great work Stephanie! It’s nice to see not only people are seeing weight loss, but also their strength and endurance increase. Keep up the great work!
Where should I be feeling pain at in the baby burpees? I feel like when I do them it is hurting on the side under the arm pit when I kick my legs back. The feeling doesn’t really seem natural compared to the soreness I get from the other exercises, feels like I’m kicking back wrong or something.
Also, on the diet, what’s the story on eating eggs, in terms of health. I am trying to psyche myself into starting this whole plan over from the start next monday and include the diet (going out of town tomorrow and won’t be able to follow anything over the weekend). But, anyway, scrambled eggs are listed on the example weight loss diet, how often should they be eaten? I love them, but thought they were bad for cholesterol and what not.
Thanks
Ideally you shouldn’t feel any pain with any exercise. . . at least once your body adjusts. Here is what I tell my clients: if you are feeling joint pain you need to stop. So if the pain is deep in the armpit, meaning your shoulder, then you need to discontinue. But if the pain is lower, and it is more “muscle soreness” it is probably the muscles of the back and core adjusting to the training. Trust your body. If joint/bone – stop! If only muscle soreness and not a true injury – it will subside with consistent training.
I love eggs. Yolks and all. Does it increase bad cholesterol? I believe opinions are split on this. Not to balk on this one, but get your cholesterol checked and ask your doc what he/she thinks. Personally, I eat the hell out of some eggs. But I’ve never had a cholesterol check up. . .
I got started a little late with my 31 days (May 4) and completed the first 2 with no problems (lots of pain though!). Unfortunately on the 3rd day I tweaked my ankle and didn’t work out that day. I’ve been able to work out since, and taken a couple of rest days, but my rest schedule is off from the one you recommend. Is this ok? Should I do something to get back on the right rest schedule? The main reason I’m asking is because today my arms were still tired, and I wasn’t able to do as many sets or reps as I’d done on the first A workout.
Here’s what I’ve done, starting May 4th:
A – B – rest – C – D – E – rest – F – G – A (today, May 13)
I’m planning on doing B tomorrow unless you suggest I do something else.
Thanks!
Tiffany
Just get back on the original schedule. Don’t try to play catch up and make up. Just jump right back in. And stay healthy.
Feeling much better today. Got some ‘First Defence’ nasal spray which seems to have worked
Just did the Tabata workout…..O-M-G!!!!
Ok, I know I may not be as fit as usual due to yesterdays onset of a cold, but, OMG again!!!
How come 20 seconds last so long??? lol
And 10 seconds goes soooo quick!!!!
jeez! Think I need to go lay down,
Tusc
Tabata’s are a bitch. No two ways about it. If you aren’t sucking at the end of Tabata intervals, you’re not pushing hard enough – I don’t care what your fitness level is.
Glad you enjoyed!
Vic, great workout. I ran through workout A this morning and, man, it’s brutal. Of course, when you’re pretty out of shape trying to run for 30 minutes is pretty brutal, too.
Thanks for sharing all this information!
You are welcome and welcome to the 31 day challenge!
I just finished Workout A and I was able to complete all 8 cycles! The first time I did 5. I didn’t time my rests this time but I’m sure the majority were a minute or less. Hoping I’m able to improve quite a bit in the other workouts this 2nd time around.
Awesome, Cindy! Yes, it is great to see endurance and strength increase with this program in addition to fat loss. Keep it up!
Vic, I cannot imagine a situation where I didn’t “chime in”.
I must apologize for coming across as so whiny. I felt like I was trying to follow the rules and it wasn’t working and that’s not fair! .
I want you to know that I am sticking with this, maybe not in full out “This is WAR!” mode, but I am doing my best to stick to the diet (I dumped my beloved Grapenuts) and think the workouts will stay in my life in some form long after May 31st. I am so grateful to you for putting those together and making them available.
I learned today that ibuprofen can cause a great deal of water retention. (!!!) I think that may have been the missing piece for me, since I am off the ibuprofen and the scale is moving now! Not much, but moving, and enough to keep me motivated.
And finally, a real question, after I do a few sets of jump squats my FEET hurt! I rip off my shoes after, but during the exercise the “outer corner” of each foot is just in awful pain. Should I try them barefoot? Is that what most people do?
Thanks, Jane
Glad to hear the scale is moving in the right direction!
The only way to know if training barefoot works for you is to try it. You know that’s what we do in my karate classes and we do plenty of jumping. There are plenty of people who feel barefoot training is superior. The only way to know for sure is to give it a shot. Good luck and train safe!
This question is a little off-track, so feel free to ignore if you’d rather stick to the discussion topic.
I am interested in getting more into lifting weights (thanks to your site) and I’m looking into getting a squat cage or squat rack. I notice that some weight benches have a higher bar rest that can be used for squats. Do you recommend those, or is a true squat rack/cage better? I am feeling overwhelmed with the choices out there, and would love recommendations from Vic or anyone else on this subject.
Thanks!
A cage provides some degree of safety for yourself and your floor, most notably during squats, if you get stuck and have to drop the weight. This is because of safety pins that can be set near the bottom of the cage that will “catch” the weight when it is dropped.
But other than that, no real difference between cage or stands. My ideal set up: stands and bumper plates and a floor where the bumper plates can be dropped.
If you have follow up questions, place them in this thread. Yes, it’s a bit off topic, but I can’t think of any other place that would be better. I’m here to help!
Definite improvement in compliance this week. There’s still the odd splash of milk in coffee or cheese on salads — I’ll work on that — but no sugar, no grain, no alcohol.
Good job scheduling the rest day after those Tabatas. After doing nothing physical all day yesterday, I’m now at the soreness level I usually experience immediately after one of the other six workouts. I think anyone who saw me walking yesterday must have thought my knees had fused.
DAY 9 (5/14/09)
REST DAY (thank Christ)
8:00 am — breakfast: apple w/almond butter; coffee with a splash of milk (too hot)
11:00 am — snack: apple, small handful of walnuts
1:00 pm — lunch: tofu w/peanut sauce over sauteed cabbage
5:30 pm — dinner: black bean soup, Greek salad (ate around most of the feta), apple, iced tea (unsweetened)
8:30 pm — snack: handful of cherries, small handful of walnuts, healthy dose of RAGE FROM GRADING STUDENT PROJECTS (it’s finals period at my university, so I spent all day reading papers…)
DAY 8 (5/13/09)
8:00 am — breakfast: apple w/almond butter, handful of cherries, black coffee
11:00 am — snack: handful of cherries, small handful of walnut pieces
12:30 pm — lunch: tofu w/peanut sauce over sauteed cabbage
3:15 — snack: apple, small handful of walnuts
* wasn’t satiated by this, so I snacked intermittently on another handful of nuts and a bowl of raw carrots and cherry tomatoes (maybe a fist-sized serving altogether).
5:10 pm — workout G
8 Tabata intervals (four minutes) each of hopscotch, squat, pushup, baby burpee
Unable to complete the pushups and baby burpees. I had maybe two good intervals of pushups, maybe four good intervals of baby burpees. I think I strained my wrist a little bit on the pushups — it hurt on the baby burpees. It’ll be fine in a couple of hours, but it definitely contributed to the non-finishing.
6:30 pm — pwo milk (1 cup)
9:00 pm — leftover roast pork, big salad w/toasted walnuts, a little bit of gorgonzola, dried cranberries, vinaigrette (this seemed fairly healthy when I was making it, but could really have been a lot better in retrospect).
DAY 7 (5/12/09)
9:00 am — breakfast: omelet (2 eggs, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt, pepper), handful of cherries, black coffee (yes, identical to yesterday — I have a lot of eggs and cherries to work through)
12:00 pm — lunch: tofu w/peanut sauce over sauteed cabbage (as yesterday, but a smaller portion)
2:15 pm — workout F
squat jumps, max reps in 10 minutes
225 reps; intermittent rest (10-20 s every 10-20 reps, on average)
plank 55 s; assisted chinups 5, 2 @ BW-50
weight: 230. Kick-ass.
3:15 pm — pwo snack: banana, small cappuccino (espresso, whole milk, cinnamon — no sugar or flavorings)
5:15 pm — snack: apple, 6 walnuts
9:00 pm — dinner (Chinese); mostly grilled salmon & sauteed green beans, with a few bites of stir-fried shrimp and calamari.
It looks like your diet is getting there. Keep tightening things up and be sure to weigh in each week. It’s the only way to know for sure if what you are doing is working.
I love the “healthy dose of rage” for grading papers. I laughed out loud at that one!
And as far as eating the same thing on consecutive days, I actually do that intentionally. My schedule is crazy and I basically cook and package all of my meals for the week on Sunday and that means I generally eat the same thing every day for 5 – 7 days straight. Unless I’m cutting weight, I stray on the weekend for sure. But other than that – food is just f’n fuel.
Keep the comments coming, Matt.
Is anyone else having problems using the online timer that Vic mentioned in the comments section?? For the last 2 days I keep getting Internet Explorer cannot display this page…
Just checked it with firefox and all is fine. I don’t use Internet Explorer. . . sorry.
Seems fine to me too Cindy. I used IE.
Regards
Tusc
Hey Vic and everyone! I think I will have to settle on being fat for a little while longer, I just found out that I passed my fourth CPA exam!! YAY!!!
I’m going to keep working, but for today I am just working on being relieved. YAY!!!
And now I need to get a job. How the heck do I do that??
Congrats on passing your exam and best of luck in your job search.
The weekend was pretty rough. I’m back on track now, but this whole 4 days on/3 off business is not exactly in the spirit of the challenge. (Well, 2.5 off — I eat well on Fridays until dinner.) I haven’t quit trying, or working out, and I’m still eating way better than pre-challenge on average… but I’m just sensing that disciplined eating is not something that’s going to come easily or quickly for me. Like I said, I haven’t quit trying; I’m pushing my limits, and that means flirting with failure (or, in my case, occasionally falling into bed with it). So be it.
I’m not posting my logs for the weekend because (a) I’m kind of ashamed of them and (b) I know what I’m doing wrong. So this is mostly a pep talk for me. Sorry. They’re still available at the Google doc, although my bookkeeping on the weekend was poorer than usual (and, yeah, I’m aware that this and the discipline issue are probably not unrelated).
Anyway. I weighed in at 229 yesterday, for a six-pound loss since the challenge began. My workouts are improving as well, my jeans are just a bit looser, and soreness is pretty well gone. So all is not lost. Here’s to another good week and a much better weekend…
Stay the course, Matt. You’re down 6 pounds even with some deviation from the plan. Get back on course and finish strong; only 10 more days to go for the Challenge!
This week so far for me, is def not as disciplined as last week! I moved on Sunday, changing from 1 city here to another and I started work on Monday. It is taking some time to get settled and to get used to the new schedule, fitting in a workout session that isn’t at midnight(I have skipped some as I’ve been exhausted by that time) and getting my diet back on track. I’ve been eating way too peanuts and cashews this week and dark chocolate as well. I’m really going to take the time this weekend to work out a new schedule so that I can get back on track for the last days of this challenge.
Cindy, life happens. The curve balls of life are always going to pop up. Get back on track as soon as you can and don’t beat yourself up for getting away from the diet and training due to moving from one city to another. You can always get back on course!
I have been doing this workout on my own and not as a part of the challenge. I started last week. I’m curious as to how it is possible to actually lose weight working out for such a short amount of time. Right now I can only do 4 reps of each exercise. I read what you wrote, but I have a hard time believing, or at least, understanding how this happens. I feel like I should be doing my 60 minute cardio work outs every day.
By the way, I’m an American living in Spain trying to lose weight to fit in with all the thin Spanish people. The Mediterranean food helps, but the sangria doesn’t!
thanks
Hi Joanna
Hope you don’t mind me replying to your comment but I felt obliged to say something. First thing, we’re neighbours!! sortof lol, I’m in France at the moment, but would love to come to Spain. Unfortunately I need a visa to visit and I don’t have enough time to get one…
Also, about the workouts for the challenge, I had the same exact opinion as you when I started. My workouts before the challenge were around an hr long in total, but I split it into half an hr cardio in the morning and 30 min strength training at night. So when I started these workouts and was finished in 15 mins or so, I was like huh??? But what I realized was that in that short space of time I was much more out of breath and sweating than during my 30 min cardio and I was only completing about 4 reps for the exercises. The first week my diet wasn’t very clean as I was still having too much carbs and I lost 1 pound (which isn’t much compared to other people’s week 1 weight loss) but for me was awesome as I had reached a plateau for about 3 wks before. Wk 2 I lost about 3-4 lbs, I was able to do the total number of reps for some exercises too and my diet was much cleaner so the changes to my body is proof for me that Vic’s workouts do work!! I don’t have a scale now to know how I’m doing weight wise unfortunately, but I am trying to eat well and work out.
Sooo, all of that to say, give the challenge a week and see if you’ve made any progress, and I’m sure you’ll find that its the intensity of the workout rather than the time they take that really matters. Hope that helped some!(Sorry for such a long comment)
Thanks for your comment, Cindy. It all comes down to your results as far as I’m concerned. Thanks for letting us know you have seen results after initially wondering if it would work.
Comment for Cindy about the online timer question above. I am posting here just in case you don’t re-read earlier comments. Try the following online Tabata Timer at
http://www.beach-fitness.com/tabata/
I don’t like it as well as the one Vic posted and I use Firefox too, so I don’t know if it will work for you or not. Worth a try if you still plan on doing tabata workouts.
Thanks Rodney!! I’ll check it out. The one vic suggested has been working again but I like to have another one in case it doesn’t work for whatever reason
Hi Vic. Thanks for the great workout plan you’ve given there.
Anyway, I would like to know, if I were to follow your instructions to a 100% how much pounds of fat would I lose do you assume? My main goal is to lose some of belly fat.
Thanks.
Man, I can’t call it. I just can’t. Too many unknown factors: your current condition, height, weight, age, training experience, genetic predisposition, etc. So sorry, I can’t give you a firm number. I can tell you that I’ve heard of more than one person following the challenge that is going to come damned close to losing 20 lbs in only 31 days. Sorry, that’s the best I can do.
hey…i wasnt able to do the 31 day challenge…because i was away..but i am interested in doing it during the next 31 days…i was thinking more on the lines of losing bodyfat, but at the same time i want to get more definition in my body, if you get what im saying? just to add a few pounds of muscle and lose fat if thats possible..thanks
Well, I want to give this a shot. I injured myself while working out a year and a half ago.. I was 190LBS (6″0), but heavy, so I started to run. I ran for about 6 months, dropped 35lbs of fat, and started weight training. I was doing well, up to 175LB of muscle, when I stumbled while doing a weighted squat.. Long story short, I injured my left shoulder and nothing seems to be healing it. This rules out pushups. Also, because of odd-shaped feet, I can’t run anymore because no shoes will comfortably fit me. I’m up to 215LB now, but I feel the need to burn away some of this junk on me
What can I do in place of the pushups, or how do you recommend I re-train my shoulder? I’ve tried extreme low weight shoulder excercises, normal workouts, etc etc, but nothing seems to work. It’s a dull achy pain when I do any activity involving that shoulder, and it gets worse the more I use it.
For the shoulder, seek a medical professional. Sorry for the cop out, but that’s really what you need. It is likely that any pushing movement (overhead press, bench press, push up, etc.) will aggravate your shoulder. Stay off of it until you get a doctor’s opinion.
That being said, if weight loss is your goal you can drop weight without the push up. The main thing you want to do from an exercise stand point in regards to losing weight is to accelerate your heart rate to a point that is “uncomfortable”. How you do that (jumping is usually the quickest path) is up to you. Good luck!
Thanks for the advise, I do need to do some physiotherapy.. What I’ve been doing is visiting a chiropractor. The guy keeps telling me that it will get better with time, but it’s been over two years. Anyways, thank you for the response and you’re doing a good thing here. Keep it up!
im still waiting on a reply…if thats ok to ask for
If definition is what you are after, I’d focus on fat loss for 31 days. Check your results at that time. If you feel like you are happy with your definition, but want to put on a bit of size, THEN go for muscle building.
But my advise at the beginning is to stick with a fat loss plan.
Hahaha.. Sorry..I’m a little late in posting… I just wanted to let you know..that ONLINE TABATA timer is incredible! Oh my goodness..I am so giddy with excitement. As an instructor I use the tabata method throughout my own training regimen and for my classes. For those of you interested in a really great ‘travel’ timer..check out gymboss.com … I LOVE THIS TIMER! thanks for the heads-up for the online version. Hope everybody is doing well! I am giving my “class” this 31-day challenge VIC over at my LA FITNESS starting in Sept. You know I can never say enough GREAT THINGS about VIC MAGARY..as you are TOPS on my list my friend! Still working on my pullup challenge by xmas! I know I will get it… damn..it’s just starting from that dead hang that is still killing me… but i see great progress in all other aspects!
xoLisa
Vic, just wanted to say that today marks the start of week 5 for me since finding your site. I started this fat loss program a month ago, and in 4 complete weeks I have lost 22lbs! The sad part is that I could have lost more, but I only exercised about %50 of the days I was supposed to. :-/
I did stick to the weight loss diet plan though, every single day, and I think that was the big kicker. Today I am starting strength training 101, thanks Vic!
Congrats on the awesome results, Tommy! Diet is key for sure. . . keep up the great work. Train Hard!
Hi Vic,
This looks great. Thanks for posting. I’m not too sure if I should try this. Can you help out?
I don’t specifically want or need to lose weight – my aim is to lower my body fat and increase muscle tone/strength.
Would you recommend this 31-day program to someone like me, who already uses free weights on a regular basis and is in “fairly good shape”? (IE as a replacement to my current gym program which im planning on changing out to a free-weight program anyway).
If not, which if any of your products would you recommend to me?
Thanks,
Matthew
Just about anything is worth a try for 31 days. Giving your body a break from the iron and using bodyweight only exercises could help you reach your goals. Good luck!
Dude, your links are tottaly wrong
how could you keep like this?
Ran into your website yesterday and I am hooked! I decided I would start eating clean today rather than putting it off like I normally would. One day down, glad I did it. I want to work on perfecting my pushups before I start the workout plan, so we will see how it goes! Considering I used to be in decent shape, I couldn’t believe that I was only able to do 5 good-form pushups! So that is my short term goal: to be able to do 25 good pushups. My long term is to make healthy eating a lifestyle, not just a passing diet. Thank you for such an amazing website!
p.s. chocolate milk sounds delicious but is it just regular old chocolate milk? Sounds too good to be true…
Yes, regular old chocolate milk. Just watch your quantity and use it only post work out. And be sure to track your progress; if the weight isn’t coming off, the chocolate milk might have to go. When I’m working to get extremely lean, I replace the chocolate milk with tuna and carrots. Good luck!
Hi Vic
Great site!
Would this routine be a good way to start the muscle building process. I would like to trim a bit of belly fat and start building some muscle. My overall goal would be to gain strength and weight. Would increasing the amount i eat, while doing the bodyweight program help me build muscle or would it just go to fat?
THX
What a great workout! I was kind of skeptical at first. I have been working out for 10years and have had a good trainer this last year, but I am SO SICK OF THE GYM! Suddenly i just didn’t feel like going anymore, and I was a very committed gym goer. My husband even asked if something was wrong with me when I didn’t go to the gym this week!
Anyway, the workout is great. I have done four days so far and am on a rest day right now. My abs are still sore from the pushups I did five days ago and I thought my abs were pretty strong! I did add some weight to the lunges because I have been doing lunges as part of my regular strength routine and found that using no weight wasn’t enough to fatigue my muscles.
You are so right that diet is key. That is where I struggle most. I have stuck to it so far and am going to perservere because I want results without spending 1 1/2hrs at the gym!
Sometimes it’s nice to step away from the gym for a bit, just for the change of pace. Good to hear you like the workouts and that you have been able to make adjustments to fit your personal fitness level. Keep that diet tight and you’ll no doubt get results – and without being in the gym for over an hour!
I just started doing Workout A after a looking for a good program I could get started with. I’m doing Couch to 5k as well right now, and I’m going to see in the next few days if I can manage to do both. If not, I’m going to stick with this for 30 days and see where that gets me.
I tried doing 4 rounds, but I only got through a measly 2 before my arms quit. I’m very out of shape so hopefully I can improve on this every time I do it. I am very unhappy I couldn’t do this and want to improve quickly!
Thank you so much for laying this out. Now I have no excuse.
You’re welcome, Aiyanna. Good luck and Train Hard!
Hey Vic!
Just wanted to say awesome workout plan! I’ve always been a fan of the site, but never posted anything until now.
So I’m starting this workout now with Workout A, but I just realized that I can only do 10-15 maximum consecutive pushups. Can I sub the normal pushups with girl pushups? Also, if I do this entire workout, does it mean that I can’t do my normal strength training (deadlifts, push press, thrusters, squats)
If you are doing 10 – 15 full range of motion normal push ups, stick with those. I would alternate this workout with your weight lifting days and track everything for a month. Let the data dictate if you can do both. Good luck.
hey i am training for football im 17 and am wondering how this will help me and if it will help me to increase my stamina and strength?
That’s tough to answer not knowing your current fitness state. If you are brand new to exercise, then bodyweight exercises are a fine way to start. But if you are trying to pack on some size for football and you have some training experience, barbell movements are going to be the way to go.
This is an excellent article and I appreciate how you make it clear that diet is the most crucial part of the entire process.
I do wonder if you’ve overlooked cardio training for the workout though. I know endurance cardio or interval training can provide excellent fat loss results. The workout does a great job of making the exercises into a challenge, but is there no place for running, biking or swimming?
- Jack Bronson