Fat Loss Padawan

In my last blog I mentioned that I now had a training partner. Another convert (maybe) in pursuit of  That Last 10 Pounds.

So we started her out slow, morning cardio (treadmill walking and recumbent bike), very light resistance training (from whatever they had at the apartment’s she is staying at) and a Saturday 30 minute run walk that followed my Saturday morning 5 K ‘slog’ ritual. And as I stated before, she was interested in straight weight loss. However, as she progressed and asked questions; she convinced herself that the routine that I personally follow may be the right answer on keeping age related gains at a minimum. So before I introduced her to a heavier, more intense resistance routine, I wanted to make sure she understood and warn her of a couple of things.

·         “Anything you do is for yourself, not for other people”. Comment – I should have covered this in my original blog entry, A Book is Judged By Its Cover. You should not be attempting to impress your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your neighbor, or the guy (or gal) at the office water cooler ‘checking you out’. If by chance you start to look a bit ‘healthier’, a little more cut, or even a bit slimmer in your quest for ‘normal’, people will take notice, will give you a nod and a smile and will compliment you. Believe me, you don’t have to ask. And once people start to notice, you know you’re on the right tract.

·         “Besides a generic ‘losing weight’ before your next trip to the US, do you have any specific goals?” Comment – This was a loaded question because I knew from our previous chats and talks that there was only ‘weight loss’; fat loss and weight training were  relatively new concepts.

·         “Once you get to where you want to be weight and size wise, do you have a plan to maintain or improve?” Comment – Again, a kind of loaded question. If you ask anyone, male or female, if they have any long term goals on fitness and nutrition AFTER the short term goal of ‘weight loss’,  most will give you that ‘dear in the headlights look’. Remember the original blog, to keep what you earned you will need, as a minimum, a maintenance plan after you reach any goal. And if you are chasing that Last 10 Pound Unicorn like I do, you will need a true fitness plan and a way to judge progress (KPI).

I did not get a specific answer to these questions from my apprentice, but at least (hopefully) got her thinking.

So how did my apprentice progress, in 6 weeks of resistance training, concentrating on squats, benches and core (lots of balancing and abdominal work)? She went from just lifting a bar (20kg) to 60kg Squats X 8, to 40kg benches X 8 and from NOT being able to complete 1 decline bench crunch to 12 reps holding a 6kg weight. And the ‘InBody 220’ indicated a good pound of muscle gain, however, no fat or overall weight loss. So we have ‘weight’ gain with improved strength, sounds like Lean Gain to me, and the fat loss is sure to follow.

The comment that I really took interest in is when she stated that her cloths fit differently. And when I asked how, she stated looser through the seat and tighter through the thighs. I would assume the squats making a difference here. Anyway, she has come away with 1) feeling confident with heavier weights, 2) feeling really great on a continuous basis and 3) a new understanding of a ‘work out’. If she keeps it up she’ll benefit in ways that others can only dream of.

After this initial 6 weeks of gym time, my apprentice went on to Japan and then back to the US for over a 3 week period. When she returned she told me that she was working on diet but had let her workout routine slide. And it was pretty apparent during that first workout back at the Taichung World Gym, she could initially lift quite heavy, but fatigued very quickly. So she was back for only 2 weeks this time and hit the gym regularly, then back to Japan for 2 weeks and again slacked off in the exercise department while on the road. Not a great track record.

Folks I’m here to tell you that diet alone isn’t the fix. And as you get older, you need the muscle mass to stay healthy. Just losing weight will not keep your blood sugar, cholesterol and hormones under control. From everything I have read and based on my own personal experience, people were not designed to carry greater than 25% fat. To manage a healthy lifestyle, guys should be below 20% (closer to 15%) and gals below 25% (as close to 20% as achievable).

As far as travel, I am disappointed with my Padawan, letting a workout schedule slide. Even an abbreviated one would have maintained those small gains made in the gym. Doing nothing can really effect (and reverse) any gains you have made. I have worked and traveled across the US and within a day or two, found a gym. And, albeit tougher, you can find places overseas that allow for continued benefit. The World Gym in Taichung Taiwan is more than accommodating and when I travel on one or two week missions to Beijing, the hotel I stay at has a fabulous gym. There are also several private clubs close by (we’ll talk about those in a later blog).

And even if there isn’t a gym nearby, there are always parks and sidewalks and early morning runs or even loading up your back pack and climbing the stairs. There are also push-ups, sit-ups, mountain climbers, planks, handstands, jumping jacks or other body weight calisthenics to keep you occupied. So no gym is No Excuse. Letting a workout routine slide because you’re too busy or traveling or whatever just doesn’t hold water. The ONLY excuse I can think of for not spending 30 minute to an hour a day getting sweaty is that you were abducted by aliens.

So hopefully, when my Padawan returns to the US at the end of her Asian assignment, she’ll keep up with the workout routines and look at gaining on That Last 10 Pounds.  

Live Long and Prosper??? (Op’s wrong movie)