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Sunday, March 30, 2008
Realistic Expectations and Your Real Metabolism
I've enjoyed more consistency with training and nutrition than in years before and am confident I will reach my goal.
Two things I wanted to share.
First is a philosophy for weight training, and second is the science behind setting REAL tangible calorie targets.
I've been following a program designed by Ian King, whom I consider to be the TOP strength training coach in the world. I've studied his methods and invested in all of his products over the past decade and truly believe he understands how to create a program to achieve optimal results based on the individual.
One of his philosophies I've adopted is the notion of a 3 or 4 week cycle for training. Now, it seems common that most people say, "Switch things around every 4 weeks" etc but such generic advice can only go so far. I say, "If it's not broke, don't fix it" and if your goal is a maximum bench press and your routine has you increasing your bench strength every week, why stop?
My goal right now is not to maximize my bench ... it is to get in optimal shape. Part of being consistent with a routine is having fun and doing the same routine for me is NOT fun. That's why I'm looking forward to changing my training every few weeks. So, with that in mind, the 3 week philosophy works well for me.
It goes like this: pick an exercise regimen, then target 3 weeks.
The first week is your discovery week. Figure out how to use the weights, how you'll go from one machine to the next (for example, with trisets where you do three different exercises without rest, you'll have to learn how to stage the weights so they're ready for you). You'll probably need to tweak your weights to figure out what the right weight is.
Some people get so frustrated on their first workout because nothing seems to go right. It takes forever to swap weights, you think you know the weight but either its way too light or so heavy you can't finish the set. Instead of getting frustrated, always look at your first workout as that "discovery" phase. A successful workout is just coming out of it having a good idea of how it is SUPPOSED to work and what your weights should be.
So, week one - discovery.
Next is week two. This is the "execution" week. You should be able to finish all of your workouts because you've taken good notes week 1 and adjusted your weights. You have a great workout but you are able to finish all sets and reps because the weights are realistic. This week will be a good week because having a focused, intense workout is going to produce a response. This has essentially been my "second" week because I did one week sort of all over the place, then received my home gym and was able to target it very focused downstairs. I'm sore all over and know it was a good week.
Finally, week three ... "overload." This is the week I don't intend to finish ANY set. WHAT?! That's right. Week three I take week two and then I load extra weights. I add a lot so it's heavy and intense. I'm overloading and guaranteeing a more intense workout by virtue of overload. So this is the real "down to the grit" push hard and really find your limits workout.
That's it. Three weeks. Discover. Execute. Overload. If you follow this sequence and then switch to a new routine, you won't be disappointed.
I'm excited about my overload week coming up and even more excited this week to design my next three weeks and see what is in store, so next week becomes a "discovery week."
The second thing I wanted to cover is a bit of information about metabolism. I wrote last week about The Body Weight Factor and how this is an easy way to estimate your calories and make adjustments.
But what if you don't want to estimate? What if you're like me, and you have a few good weeks but say, "You know what? I want to step it up and really hit my targets." I have a specific goal and time frame and want to hit my target, so I need good goals.
I can't just lower my calories arbitrarily because I risk burn out and over-training. So how do I find that "sweet spot" of the maximum calories I can consume while still reaching my weight loss target?
Enter the "real metabolism" concept. I've shared a few tools with others that help compute this, but haven't really explained where that computation comes from. So this week I decided, "I'm going to figure out my real metabolism, and set my goals accordingly."
Whenever I do this, I'm always asking myself, "How can I share my process with others, so they can do the same thing?" So I wrote Your Real Metabolism to explain the computations I've made and then put together The Real Metabolism Calculator™ to make it easy.
What you will have to do is put in the work to track your calories that you eat over a period of time and also your weight. What I'll do then is give you your real metabolism ... not a guess or equation, but the actual average number of calories you've burned per day. From there, we can take your goals and figure out the true target.
My own calculations revealed that based on the level of activity I've had these first three weeks, I need to drop my calories to about 2000 per day in order to hit my target. 2000 is probably a little low for my comfort right now, so the alternative is to raise them to 2200 and then burn another 2200. So, here's my goal:
This week I'll knock my calories down from my average of 2600 per day down to 2200. It's not my target exactly but gets me closer. I'm not ready to add more training to the equations ... too much too fast can be a recipe for disaster.
The week after, I'll increase my calories burned by doubling my time on the treadmill after training sessions to burn the balance.
This should take me closer to my target and keep me on track for my goals.
Warmly,
posted by Jeremy Likness | 12:48 PM
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