Setting Goals, Monitoring the Fat

During the 1st week of November, a gym buddy (actually a gal my age) asked if I was loosing weight, the term was “going skinny on us?” She also mentioned this to my wife later in the week. Now remember what I have stated all along, if other people notice, you’re on the right track and gaining on that Last 10 Pounds.

As of today, I am down a good 12 pounds from a year ago, sitting at 187. I have lost more than 1 ½ inches through the middle bringing my measured body fat to below 15% and closer to 12% than not.. I have been making consistent gains in strength by increasing my One Rep Max (1RM) by well over 10 lbs and ‘Total Weigh Moved’ by better than 20% for all of the core lifts; Dead Lift, Bench Press and Squat.

If you’ll look back at the original ‘Book Is Judged by It’s Cover’ post, you will note that I prefer the ARMY standard as far as keeping track of body fat (a link is provided in the upper right of this blog). I am within 1 pound of falling off the correction tables that use neck and waist measurements to adjust weight (body fat) for a given height. At 186, I meet the ARMY’s weight standard for my height within my age group. So basically, I’ll need an alternate method of looking at body composition that’s easy to track and provides minimal input.

So, how do I keep track of the stats I just covered? I document my lifts, my weight, my measurements and write them down. I build spread sheets, I look for clues and trends in the data and, I make adjustments to allow for continuous improvement. In my pursuit of losing ‘just the fat’ and keeping any hard earned lean body mass, I’ve come up with several methods to keep track of progress. As you may remember, from my initial post I had mentioned that when you loose weight by diet alone, you loose a combination of fat, lean mass and water. Further starvation and you start to loose bone, sinew and vital organs. I do not wish to go here; I want to keep any lean gains and stay healthy. I had also mentioned that there is a point of ‘diminishing return’ where work seams to increase exponentially compared to results. I’m at that point now, a lot of work and no immediate return.

So, to ensure I am actually progressing toward my physical goal(s); ‘lose the fat, gain muscle’ and take in enough calories to manage this energy balance in a healthy manner, I monitor and trend several key performance indicators (KPI’s). These are;

1) weight
2) waist size at the navel
3) core lift ‘calculated’ 1RM to bodyweight ratio, and
4) core lift Total Weight Moved

Based on these KPI’s, I can say for sure that as I lose weight beyond a given standard, I do NOT lose, and actually gain, ‘strength’. And, if we consider strength having a direct correlation to muscle or lean mass, then I can be quite certain that I have lost ‘just the fat’. If at the same time, I can show strength gains, I can also state “I have gained lean mass”.

Explanation of Parameters;

• Calculated 1 RM – A calculated 1 Rep Max (1RM) is a measure of maximum weight you have the potential to lift. The calculated value is based on the maximum number of reps (always less than 10) you would perform in a set before failure; form failure, not total failure.

• Total Weight Moved – A summation of weight lifted times the number of reps accumulated through all sets of a specific exercise.

There are several sources on the internet where you can determine your 1RM, my favorite is EXRX.com. The link to their 1RM calculation gadget is;

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

Basically, at 200 pounds body weight, I could Bench Press 200 pounds X 8 reps and at 187, I can still push 200 pounds X 8 reps. The calculated bench press 1RM for 200 pounds X 8 reps is 248 pounds. At 200 pounds body weight, my 1RM to body weight ratio for this exercise is 1.24 and at 187, that ratio is 1.32; a positive gain, no lost strength due to weight loss.

As far as Total Weight Moved and based on my modified ‘Drop Set’ routines, if I complete 4 sets; 95 X 20 warm-up, then 200 X 8 followed by 150 X 12, then 175 X 8 followed by 135 X 12 and finally 150 X 8 followed by 115 X 12, my Total Weight Moved for that exercise is 10,900 pounds. I use this to adjust my meal patterns. If I can repeat the work effort or improve, I’m eating enough or too much, if I fatigue out and can NOT complete the same level of work, my diet is to strict.

As long as my 1RM to body weight ratio is gaining ground and the Total Weight Lifted is consistent or increases and my weight loss is in a negative direction, I’m progressing. Albeit slow, there is positive progress.

So what is the end point of all this, to look slim and trim, to be at a higher fitness level that my peers? Yes to all plus in the long term, age gracefully and healthily and to be able to work and play well into my 80’s. To not have to depend on medications to correct cholesterol, blood sugar, high blood pressure, etc… My short term goals; Bench 200 X 8, Squat 300 X 8 and Dead Lift 300 X 8 at a body weight of less than 181 pounds. So, for a 56 year old male at 5’9”, this would be a pretty satisfying end point, at least for this round. Who knows what the next short term goal will be; compete in a marathon or a triathlon, ride a bicycle from Pacific to Atlantic, who knows…………

Measure, monitor, poke and prod, test your limits continuously; these are key in keeping healthy and driving toward that Last 10 Ponds.