Snorkles- six pack abs goal. Journal

[Wrangell]

(ps: is my workout routine/week good enough to provide me with good results? (along with a good diet))

If your primary goal is to shred fat you may also want to consider adding a more robust ( in terms of interval duration ) HIIT program specifically designed to not only improve your VO2 max and anaerobic conditioning but to also optimize fat loss as well.

There is a reputable trainer - Alywn Cosgrove ( co-author of ' New Rules of Lifting ' ) - who recommends a 16 week HIIT protocol based on 1 minute work and 2 minute recovery intervals ( NROL - page 87 )

Here are some of the details of Alywn's HIIT protocol to optimize fat loss.....


General Info / Tips from Alywn :

- use the HIIT protocol on any cardiovascular machine
- don't use the same cardio machine two workouts in a row
- can also be done doing push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, squats etc.
- the HIIT protocol can be done after weight training workouts on the same day or on separate days
- done properly, this HIIT will result in a 1-2lb fat loss per week.​

Basic Approach:

- warm up for five minutes
- One Round: Do 1 minute as hard as you can ( on a scale of 1-10....shoot for a level 9 or 10 ). Then recover at a moderate pace (a level 6-7 intensity) for 2 minutes. So, ' One Round ' is 3 minutes long.
- Cool down for five minutes.​

The HIIT Protocol:

Weeks 1 to 4:

- Perform 3 rounds, 3X per week.
- The total cardio time of 19 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.​

Weeks 5 to 8:

- Perform 4 rounds, 4X per week.
- The total cardio time of 22 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.​

Weeks 9 to 12:

- Perform 5 rounds, 4X per week.
- The total cardio time of 25 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.​

Weeks 13 to 16:

- Perform 6 rounds, 5X per week.
- The total cardio time of 28 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.​

​

.......you may want to think about replacing your current Tabata routines with this one from Alwyn.

Just a thought.

 

[snorkles]

thanks for that info.it is very similar to what I do. But isnt 5-6 HIIT times bad for muscle loss? thats what I hear...I am only confused about 1 thing regarding cardio/HIIT. If I am cutting and currently have 3 days for cardio and 2 days for HIIT shoould I switch these and give more importance to HIIT and do 3 days for HIIT and 2 for cardio? (jogging for 30-35mins)


Chillen.. Where can I find the best appropriate BMR calculator?
(so that I can tell you my needs and than you can direct me personally from there) as for the basic rules I know about them. (eat regulary,etc etc)

Chillen is it possible to provide me (with my list of foods which I eat) a sample schedule of what I have to eat on different days since you told me make a zig-zag diet. I never quite heard of it except in your posts.

What should I eat on a surplus calorie day and on a defecit calorie day? And which days of my week should the surplus calorie days be and which days should my defecit calorie days be? (Personally, my mind tells me that surplus calorie days should be done on the days I workout no? and defecit days on when i rest? I might be wrong here..) I dont know if you can understand what Im asking..

(ps: is my workout routine/week good enough to provide me with good results? (along with a good diet))




....as for the food:
this is what I eat yesterday:

bfast- special K cereal+ pear + 3 eggs (2whites)
workout
post workout- can of tuna, 3 turkey slices , caprers + apple
2pm lunch- 2 portions beef + large veg. salad
4pm- can of tuna, 1 chicken slice (bought like the turkey slices),capers+ tomatoe
dinner 7pm- 6-7 small portions of chicken breast + large veg. salad

Today is my rest day (im waiting like hell for tommorow to arrrive, I hated the split routine week!). this is what i am going to eat:

breakfast-10am (woke up now,yeah) had 1 and a half servings special k cereal + 3 eggs (2 whites) + apple
12pm- chicken breast + large veg salad+ 3 slices fat free cheese

I'm out for the rest of the day so I dont know what Im going to eat probably

 

[Wrangell]

thanks for that info.it is very similar to what I do. But isnt 5-6 HIIT times bad for muscle loss?

Not in my view. And apparently not in Alwyn's view either - which I why I suspect he has no qualms about suggesting it's O.K. to do his form of HIIT after weight training..

Granted, frequent HIIT sessions assumes you are eating properly and taking in enough calories to fuel your exercise ( pre and post and throughout the day ) and you're taking in adequate levels of carbs, protien, fat etc. Diet should be the primary focus when it comes to fat loss - no amount of training can overcome a lousy diet IMO. You only lose significant muscle when your body turns to protein for energy above and beyond what your body usually uses ( which is very little ) for energy. This most often is more likely when your glycogen ( i.e energy stored in your muscles, liver ) is critically low. If you take in enough calories throughout the day - with the majority coming from carbs ( which the normal way to create glycogen ) - your glycogen should never get this low and thus, should be a non-issue in your case. Also, some types of cardio also release more of a hormone called cortisol which may promote muscle loss etc. But this is usually more of an issue for longer sustained cardio of 1 hour or more - not HIIT. So again, in your case, nothing to really worry about IMO.

Also, you don't have to dive right in and follow Alwyn's protocol to the letter and do HIIT 6 times a week ( Alwyn maxed out at 5X a week btw - not 6X ). You could simply do Alwyns' protocol 3X a week instead - i.e on the days you're doing your longer cardio sessions now. Remember, that when you account for differences in the amount of calories burned during exercise, it's been found that for every calorie burned while exercising, people doing HIIT end up with more fat loss per calorie expended than a steady state cardio group of people. In fact, one study found HIIT groups had a fat loss 9 X greater than a steady state cardio group. So, if your goal is fat loss, HIIT has some fat loss benefits over steady state cardio.

That said, it you were to do ( for example ) 45 - 60 minutes of steady cardio, it is still possible you might burn just as many or a few more overall calories than HIIT. HIIT just does it in less time. And that is the idea, to get the maximum results in the minimum amount of time.

thats what I hear...I am only confused about 1 thing regarding cardio/HIIT. If I am cutting and currently have 3 days for cardio and 2 days for HIIT shoould I switch these and give more importance to HIIT and do 3 days for HIIT and 2 for cardio? (jogging for 30-35mins)

Suppose it gets down to the primary reason you're doing one form of cardio over another. Any cardio will contribute to a calorie deficit, and thus, fat loss. HIIT cardio simply does it quicker and in less time than jogging for 30-35mins for example the primary purpose. Also, if you do cardio for cardio / fitness conditioning I suspect the HIIT protocol from Alwyn will improve both your aerobic conditioning and anaerobic conditioning at least as much as jogging for 30-35mins would - if not more. In the end I suppose it depends on what goals you are trying to achieve by jogging for 30-35mins.

My approach as always been to ' train smart ' - not longer. Again, the idea is to get the maximum results in the minimum amount of time and if the results you want are optimal fat loss and improved aerobic conditioning and anaerobic conditioning I think a HIIT protocol like Alwyn's would serve you well.

If it were me, I'd opt to do Alwyns' HIIT protocol 3X a week, drop the Tabata protocols altogether and maybe squeeze in 1 or 2 longer cardio sessions . But that's just me.

 

[snorkles]

thanks a lot.I am going to to 3 times cardio 2 times HIIT but 99% of the case I have football 3-4 times a week helping me in that aspect. about cardio again, is it true that I shouldnt do cardio/HIIT on an empty stomach? or is that just a myth..

Chillen, can you help me with my diet please? My final parts to make it perfect. Am I having enough carbs, enough proteins etc? If I continue to follow this pattern will I succeed? I would like you to exaplin to me what I asked some posts ago about the zig-zagging:

" is it possible to provide me (with my list of foods which I eat) a sample schedule of what I have to eat on different days since you told me make a zig-zag diet. I never quite heard of it except in your posts.

What should I eat on a surplus calorie day and on a defecit calorie day? And which days of my week should the surplus calorie days be and which days should my defecit calorie days be? (Personally, my mind tells me that surplus calorie days should be done on the days I workout no? and defecit days on when i rest? I might be wrong here..) I dont know if you can understand what Im asking.."


Today I was the least ever I was: 66kg after having breakfast that is. Next days il check upon my waistline. I guess changing routine for a week seemed to efffect. Im going back to full body workout (new programme tough) routine from tommorow.

what I eat today (rest day)
breakfast-10am (woke up late) 1 and a half servings special k cereal + 3 eggs (2 whites) + apple
12pm- chicken breast + large veg salad+ 3 slices fat free cheese
was out the whole day drank a lot of water throughout
8pm- large veg. salad with can of tuna + 3 egg whites+ 3 turkey slices+3 fat free cheese slices + 5 black olives.

 

[Wrangell]

thanks a lot.I am going to to 3 times cardio 2 times HIIT but 99% of the case I have football 3-4 times a week helping me in that aspect. about cardio again, is it true that I shouldnt do cardio/HIIT on an empty stomach? or is that just a myth...

It's still a matter of debate - some think cardio on an empty stomach ( usually in the morning ) bumps fat loss a bit - some don't think it matters much at all. Also, you don't want to do cardio after a moderate to large meal either - for the obvious reasons - which may be some of the rationale for doing cardio on an empty stomach..

But for myself and any players I've coached, I've always suggested they have some sort of nutrition before any exercise - even if it's only a light snack. Even more so if it's morning cardio - when your blood sugar levels may be low. Doing cardio on low blood sugar may cause you to fatigue earlier than if you'd eaten something first. So, a light snack of slower burning carbs a half hour ( or more ) before cardio will help keep your blood sugar a bit closer to normal.

In any event (in terms of fat loss ) you're going to be doing HIIT - and that'll be more than enough of a ' fat shredder ' to meet your needs IMO.

Chillen, can you help me with my diet please? My final parts to make it perfect. Am I having enough carbs, enough proteins etc? If I continue to follow this pattern will I succeed? I would like you to exaplin to me what I asked some posts ago about the zig-zagging:

" is it possible to provide me (with my list of foods which I eat) a sample schedule of what I have to eat on different days since you told me make a zig-zag diet. I never quite heard of it except in your posts.

Actually I'm really looking forward to having Chillen explain how his form of a ' zig-zag ' diet works as well.

 

[snorkles]

thanks for the info. can I ask a bit about fruit and meat? how many fruit ina day when cutting and what is the best time to have them? and what about meat, which is good and bad?

 

[Wrangell]

thanks for the info. can I ask a bit about fruit and meat? how many fruit ina day when cutting and what is the best time to have them? and what about meat, which is good and bad?

This is a good guideline to follow whether you are looking to add muscle or lose fat IMO......

" The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs

Here’s my take on it. I call these principles, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs," a shameless and possibly illegal play on Steven Covey’s book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." (Great book, by the way—you should read it sometime.)

These aren’t the newest techniques from the latest cutting-edge plan. Rather, they are simple, time-tested, no nonsense habits that you need to get into when designing a good eating program.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).
So what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I’ve covered in other articles? The short answer is that if you aren’t already practicing the above-mentioned habits, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless."​

John Berardi - 7 Habits


...so you simply want to eat lean ( lower fat ) cuts of meat and whole natural pieces of fruit if you can. Fruit won't make you fat. Fatty meats won't make you fat either - excess calories beyond what your body needs will make you fat.

So if you want to ' shred fat ' , you simply need to create a sound nutritional plan keeping those 7 points above in mind, and create a calorie deficit by means of adjusting your intake of calories and or your expenditure of calories through exercise and lifestyle changes.

 

[snorkles]

as for today i eat:

5.30am-woke up and went for a 15min walk and 10 min jog.
630am-breakfast- 2 oatmeals + 1 apple + yogurt fat free + 3 eggs (2 whites)
11am- small veg salad with 1/2 can of tuna
1pm- larger veg salad with 1/2 can of tuna
5pm- 1 brown bread sandwich + 3 turkey slices+5 black olives+some capers+2 tomatoes
5.30-7pm -full body workout + abs
7.45pm- 1 pear+ 2 portions fish + veg corslaw+2 egg whites
9pm- handful of almonds + 2 slices fat free cheese.

any comments please? remember my goal is cutting..

 

[Wrangell]

as for today i eat:

5.30am-woke up and went for a 15min walk and 10 min jog.
630am-breakfast- 2 oatmeals + 1 apple + yogurt fat free + 3 eggs (2 whites)
11am- small veg salad with 1/2 can of tuna
1pm- larger veg salad with 1/2 can of tuna
5pm- 1 brown bread sandwich + 3 turkey slices+5 black olives+some capers+2 tomatoes
5.30-7pm -full body workout + abs
7.45pm- 1 pear+ 2 portions fish + veg corslaw+2 egg whites
9pm- handful of almonds + 2 slices fat free cheese.

any comments please? remember my goal is cutting..

Based on the above - how many calories did you take in today ?

 

[sig]

Two observations on fat & cheating

Some real good advice being shared here. Just wanted to chime in to say:

(1) What % fat are your total calories??? I'm willing to bet that it is too low. I also suspect that you'd be better off if you moved a little bit more fat into your diet earlier in the AM. It'll have more sticking power for your training later on. This is a classic mistake people make, and I struggle with it as well (because I LIKE eating the low-fat breakfast foods of oatmeal & yogurt and egg whites).

Remember - Fat does not make you fat. Taking in more calories than your body needs does. And the food that your body most easily processes into fat? Nope, not fat. It was that cheat food - the white rice. Hehe!

(2) You asked a really good question about whether it is better to cheat if you want white rice, rather than lots of oatmeal.

Normally, it is going to be better to eat a little bit of what you are craving than a lot of something else, because you'll take in too many calories, and you won't be satisfied anyway.

Just some things to realize:

- Make sure that you limit your portion of the cheat so it doesn't blow the overall budget (and you should have some built in cheat space in your week). If you can't cheat without it turning into a binge, don't do it.

- Usually, the 'cheat' is telling you something, so listen carefully. Are you craving fat? protein? carbs? If you let your blood sugar get low enough (by not eating frequently and/or enough) and training hard, you'll often crave the quickest and easiest to absorb carb. Maybe give in to this cheat, but make sure you eat right to avoid it next time!

- Your palate changes, so if you can tough it out early on, you might do better. When you change your diet and eliminate things like white processed/refined starches, many people find that they stop craving them. It can take 4 or 6 weeks (or more!), so it won't happen right away. But if you cheat too often within this category, you may not be training yourself NOT to want these foods anymore. That said, cold turkey can backfire on people too, so it's a delicate balance.

Just my two cents.

sig

 

[snorkles]

Based on the above - how many calories did you take in today ?

how can I calculate please?

 

[snorkles]

(1) What % fat are your total calories???

sig

where can i calculate this? thanks. so i should eat some fats in the AM or during the day too?

 

[Wrangell]

how can I calculate please?

This " Fitday " software is used by a lot of people here to calculate and track calories.....




Unless you are able to account - as best you can - for every calorie ( and gram of fat, protein, carb ) you consume ( and expend ) then sweating over the minutia of things like a Harris Benedict calculation or some silly ' zig zag diet ' is a complete waste of time IMO.

You HAVE to be able to somehow track and account for the calories and grams of macro-nutrients of every meal you eat during each day for every day of the week.


Now, in reference to your question about tracking fat, one possible approach is ......

1. Figure out your ' daily maintenance calories ' ( depending on your goals ) using the Harris formula.
2. Figure out what the calorie equivalent of approx. 1 gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight is ( 1 gram of protein is 4 calories btw )
3. Target your fat intake to 25% - 30% of the ' daily maintenance calories ' number you get from Harris formula..
4. Subtract the fat and protein calories calculated above from your ' daily maintenance calories ' and you're left with a ballpark estimate of the carb calories you need ( 1 gram of carb is 4 calories btw )
5. Use " Fitday ' or some other means to document all the calories and grams of fat, protein and carbs you consume at each meal, each day each week.​

....oh, and by the way, you may want to buy yourself a small kitchen weight scale so you can get some idea of how much your various food portions weigh - it'll ensure your calorie calculations are as accurate as possible.

 

[Wrangell]

Some real good advice being shared here. Just wanted to chime in to say:

(1) What % fat are your total calories??? I'm willing to bet that it is too low. I also suspect that you'd be better off if you moved a little bit more fat into your diet earlier in the AM. It'll have more.... sticking power .......for your training later on. This is a classic mistake people make, and I struggle with it as well (because I LIKE eating the low-fat breakfast foods of oatmeal & yogurt and egg whites).

Not sure I follow.

What do you mean by the " sticking power " provided by fat for his training exactly ?

 

[sig]

defining the vagueness I left behind

Wrangell - Sorry for the lack of clarity.

I meant that by moving more calories - particularly fat ones - to earlier in the day and before his training, he can slow the absorption of the food he's eating and stave off the weakness that can happen during, at the end, or immediately after training. I meant it more as a comment on the effects of the fat on the overall blood sugar (glucose) processing.

There is also the problem of finding your energy stores lower later in the day (after all this) because you're simply behind on calories (and fat calories particularly) by 3 PM. Obviously, you don't want to be running and jumping and lifting on too MUCH fat, but there is such a thing as not enough. To me, the "problem" that happens with earlier in the day training (esp competitive sports that are basically HIIT) is that you wind up with this huge window of time in which you aren't eating anything (while you're being active) and immediately thereafter, you're most likely going to consume protein/carbs, not fat - both because of planned nutritional recovery and because you aren't going to FEEL like a fat-based choice.

So you can eat a good breakfast, a pre-workout snack, have the workout or training session, eat a post-workout meal/snack...and figure out in the middle of the afternoon that you haven't had practically any fat yet. And you may not like the way your body tries to tell you this (fatigue, extreme hunger/cravings, etc.).

 

[snorkles]

And you may not like the way your body tries to tell you this (fatigue, extreme hunger/cravings, etc.).

true. that's what oftenly happens to me. Im dead after school hours after having no fats and having played for 1-3 hrs soccer. From today I started taking some fats like a slice of fat free cheese with the veg salad etc. Later tonight I will post up what I eat today.

 

[snorkles]

Some questions please:

Looking at what I am eating am i eating enough? I am a person who rarely feels satisfied for example I feel full only when I eat like I used to do in old times. (for example I can still eat something after eating 250g (not cooked) of brown rice. Even yesterday I had 7-8 small portions of chicken breast and 2 serving of broccoli and I still could have eaten much more. I am just asking to see it this is normaly or not.

anyway,...this is what I eat yesterday: (rest day)

breakfast- special k + 3 eggs+ apple.
10am-apple
11am-yogurt with almonds
football for 45mins.
2pm-corslaw with turkey slices
3pm-apple and some almonds
5pm-2 servings of chicken breast (7-8 small portions in total) and 2 servings of medium sized broccoli

slept at 7.30 until now (5am) lol (was tired)

 

[lifeissoccer]

true. that's what oftenly happens to me. Im dead after school hours after having no fats and having played for 1-3 hrs soccer. From today I started taking some fats like a slice of fat free cheese with the veg salad etc. Later tonight I will post up what I eat today.

waaaaaaiiiit.. doesnt fat free cheese not count as a fat ?

 

[Wrangell]

Some questions please:

Looking at what I am eating am i eating enough? I am a person who rarely feels satisfied for example I feel full only when I eat like I used to do in old times. (for example I can still eat something after eating 250g (not cooked) of brown rice. Even yesterday I had 7-8 small portions of chicken breast and 2 serving of broccoli and I still could have eaten much more. I am just asking to see it this is normaly or not.

anyway,...this is what I eat yesterday: (rest day)

breakfast- special k + 3 eggs+ apple.
10am-apple
11am-yogurt with almonds
football for 45mins.
2pm-corslaw with turkey slices
3pm-apple and some almonds
5pm-2 servings of chicken breast (7-8 small portions in total) and 2 servings of medium sized broccoli

slept at 7.30 until now (5am) lol (was tired)

Depends. ' Enough ' is a relative term.

What is your daily target for calories ?

How many calories does the above list of meals / snacks come out to ?

 

[snorkles]

Depends. ' Enough ' is a relative term.

What is your daily target for calories ?

How many calories does the above list of meals / snacks come out to ?

I entered this site to see my calorie needs everyday:




on a moderately active option it told me I need- 2527 cals per day
on a very active option it told me I need- 2864cals per day


for example today I dont feel hungry (dont feel hungry, BUT STILL can toss more food but at least i was satisfied) after this post-workout meal.(largest of the day)
Let me tell you what I did first of all.

Football for 2 hrs at school, had a salad with a can of tuna + an apple and went to jog for 30mins. Then I eat:

brown bread sandwich with 2 turkey slices and 2 olives
large veg. salad
and 3 pieces fish (hand palm-sized portions)
and about 10 almonds.

later tonight I will post what I eat today.

I have a friend who also just started the abs diet, he is doing it because he is training with weights not for fat loss since he is already skinny. He is a person who desont eat large meals but have contionusly complained that he is feeling hungry all the time despite him never beaing a big eater. So Im not alone.