Brett,

personally I got pretty big, cut some fat, cleaned everything up and pretty much worked out too much….budddannywaaays…. I went from 178 to 181 in a month but noticed my pants getting looser around the waist and I couldnt deny the changes I seen in the mirror.

So yes…IMO the mirror and the way you feel and clothes fit, is much better indicator of your progress than the scale.

Then….i got hurt. My own doing… and watched myself drop back down to 177. BUT….my pants got tighter and im definitely ‘pudgier’ than I was at 181. If i just go by what the scale says…I am doing great! But I can tell…its not good.

Now if your trying to lose 40lbs or so…the scale should move often if youre on the right track.

Vic, another great write! Keep kicking out the good shit!

-Mike

From one point on people will need to use their heads and actually find out what they respond best to, instead of relying on mags, the internet, etc…

Here is what has worked for me throughout the years:

I. Fatloss – all of the following strategies below have given me good results at one point:

Part 1 – through diet:
-eating high fat, moderate protein (but low calories)
-eating high fiber, moderate protein (again low calories)
-fasting (low caloreis…)
-eating lots of salads (again – low cals…) hm a pattern there lol)

Part 2 – through exercise:
-high volume jump roping (20+ minutes per day)
-high volume squatting and deadlifting (tons of cals expended – 3+ days per week, 8 sets of 6 reps at ~60%+ 1RM)
-high volume basketball training ( 2hrs every day)

Recap – low cals + high volume training

II. Gaining strength.

1. High volume (30+reps), low(1-3 reps out of 3-5 possible reps, not to failure, 3 days per week.)
2. Low volume (2 sets, low reps, often, a.k.a. power to the people protocol)
3. Twice per week, alternate between medium and high volume, a.k.a. Soviet Peaking cycle
4. Westside-style – working up to a max set of 1-3 reps, once per week. Note – it leads to burnout after a few weeks so exercises need to change.

III. Gaining endurance.
1. Ladders:http://www.cbass.com/Pavel%27sLadders.htm
2. Even better – working for strength with method II.1.

IV. Gaining Muscle
1. Method II.1 gives some muscle but as a side effect
2. 8-12 reps to failure for 3-4 sets, 2-3 exercises, once per week.

Cheers,

Yavor

Your post is right on. A lot of people tend to be complacent and blame the process when they’re not getting results. Even worst, they give up.

This is a great post that is worth repeating over and over again. As Alwyn Cosgrove said, “If you’re not assessing, you’re just guessing.”

Anna

Now I do have a question for you… you say that if I don’t see more than a three pound drop in two weeks I should change routines. Now I have been trying to lean out from last years job, which was a stress fest that left me pudgier than I would ever like to be again. In the process I have been eating a reduced calorie diet that is all natural and clean. I have been doing 3 day full body resistance training with an extra day of high intensity short burst cardio. I have been at it for about a month. I look much better but have only lost 2 pounds. Is it possible that I am increasing either muscle size or density while burning my fat? I am losing fat that is for sure, some more to go around the tummy before the 6 pack shows.

Sorry for the novel.