Tag Archive for bodybuilding

Operation: GET LEAN Update #2

Happy Friday peeps!

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#workmode

I wanted to pop in and give you an update on Operation: GET LEAN!

In my last update, I was feeling really good and like I had finally gotten in the right head-space for this.

I’m happy to say that I feel even more dialed in today than I did then!

STATS:

Starting Weight: 152 lbs

Weight Today: 145.4 lbs

I’ve lost:

  • 1 inch in my waist
  • 0 inches in my bootay (that will be the last to go for sure..)
  • .75 inches in each leg
  • 2 inches in my chest (REALLY?! ugh haha)
  • 1.5 inches on my hips
  • 0.5 inches on each arm

Are these crazy numbers? No. But 5.75 inches in 6 weeks is fine by me. I’m not trying to win a race, I’m just trying to lean out and be healthy. Progress is progress and as long as I’m moving in the right direction, that’s all that matters to me.

What I’m Doing:

I’m lifting 4 days per week, with 1 ab circuit each week.

No cardio. (except for 1 baseball game I play every Sunday and the occasional rollerblading by the beach, which only happens about once every 2-3 weeks)

I think that’s one of the biggest things that makes people’s jaw drop.

“What?? No cardio?? How is that possible?!”

“I have to do cardio everyday!!! How are you doing that?!”

The truth is, quitting daily cardio was the best thing I ever did for ME. It doesn’t mean cardio is BAD by any means. In fact, a little bit of cardio is good for you. And if daily cardio makes you feel good, clears your head, or of course, is part of your training for a race, then by all means DO IT. But daily cardio for the purposes of fat loss is just unnecessary, in my opinion.

I lift heavy (for me) weights, and I go hard in the gym. I’m a sweaty, out of breath MESS after EVERY one of my workouts. I don’t half-ass them. I’m also diligent with eating well and staying within the parameters that will help me achieve fat loss.

The formula is SIMPLE

Executing it is CHALLENGING.

BUT, if you have your eyes set on a goal and are WILLING to put the work in,

Results Happen…

Photos are 8 weeks apart, but I didn't start dieting until 6 weeks ago.

Photos are 8 weeks apart, but I didn’t start dieting until 6 weeks ago.

Question of the Day

  1. How are you doing with your goals?
  2. What do you find to be the hardest part about fat loss?

FitLizzio Training Experiment

bodybuilding.com

So I was sitting at home last night after workout perusing the interwebs.

My new apartment has a HUGE patio (in LA, a big patio is pretty much like having a backyard), and I am determined to make it my playground. I already purchased some rubber flooring I need to put down and I have some light dumbbells ready to go.

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My next purchase is going to be a squat rack, olympic bar, heavier DB’s and plates (just so you know, Charlie). I’ve been scouring over Craigslist and other used outlets to see what I can find.

Anyways, as I was perusing, I was being all introspective and thinking a lot about me, myself, and I.

As I was doing so, I started thinking about my many failures with fat loss, specifically. You see, I LOVE working out. I LOVE weight training, plyometrics, and pretty much any type of high intensity training. It makes me sweat, breathe hard, and feel like a total badass.

But when it comes to eating? I like food. I’m stubborn. I don’t stick to meal plans very well. I make excuses. (That’s the key there, the making excuses.)

You see, I’m comfortable in my skin. This is GREAT (especially considering how I felt just a few years ago), but it’s not great for working towards fat loss. It’s easier for me to just say “eh, whatever” because it’s not a DIRE need for me to lose weight and I do feel good and comfortable with my ed-pills24.

Could I stand to lose a few pounds? Sure. Do I NEED to? Nope. I’m at a healthy weight and I feel good.

HOWEVER, I also see my inner self as something completely different than what I see in the mirror. In my head, my ideal is ripped and shredded. I like veins, I like muscles, I like striations, I like it ALL! Now, I don’t necessarily want to BE that lean, but I would like to be something closer to that extreme than I am currently.

SO, anyways. I have been trying to find the inner determination to stick to something long-term (which for me is macro-nutrient counting) and see what changes I can make. I’ve been doing okay, but haven’t been very consistent. No consistency = little to no results.

I also love new challenges and while in the past I haven’t always stuck with them, I know that I am capable of it. Hell, I gave up all added sugar for 37 days. 37 days without gummy candy is no joke people.

So back to perusing the world wide web….I ended up on Bodybuilding.com because I love looking at the various training plans for inspiration, as well as giving myself ideas for my own training + my clients’ training.

If you didn’t know, there are a TON of free training plans on Bodybuilding.com. They make it fun (choose your gender, choose your goals, choose your intensity, etc.) and this is when the crazy/fun idea hit me:

I’m going to slowly but surely work my way through the training plans and review them each as I go right here on Fit Lizzio Fitness!

Here’s what I’ll be doing:

-Taking before/after pictures & measurements

-Doing the daily workouts

-Following the meal plans

-Taking most of the recommended supplements (if I change or don’t take something, I’ll let you know that)

-Checking in here on the blog throughout each program

For the plans that last longer than 2 months, I’ll cut them short (so that I can get through at least a few by the end of 2015). At the end of each training program, I’ll do a FULL review on the blog highlighting my successes, failures, what I liked/disliked about the program, and my overall thoughts on the program from both the perspective of a user and a personal trainer. These will be FULL disclosure reviews (i.e. I will tell you if they flat out suck, although I don’t anticipate that). I think this will be a fun way to keep me motivated, provide some good content and reviews for others out there, and hopefully yield some results that I’m looking for!

So what do you think…am I crazy??? I actually keep texting my friends asking if I’m crazy (they’ve all responded yes, so I’m not sure what that says about me), but they all think it’s a great idea. Either way, I think it will be a super fun experiment and I’m excited to do this!

If you’d like to follow on this journey (or better yet, JOIN ME), I’m starting with Ashley Conrad’s 21 Day Clutch.

bodybuilding.com

Photo Credit: Bodybuilding.com

I’ll have an initial post about this up on the blog as soon as I start to tell you about Day 1 and my expectations. Don’t worry, regularly scheduled blogging will go on as a normal, with just a few posts each week about this experiment, which I’ve titled: FitLizzio Training Experiment

I’ll also be posting on Instagram (@fitlizzio) using the hashtag: #fitlizzioexperiment

P.S. If you are crazy like me and want to join me, e-mail me at [email protected] so we can help each other through the programs!