Mikey's Autumn Challenge

[mikey]

Intro:
I don't usually like to publish private details of myself of the web, but realise that to achieve my objectives I need to set measurable goals and track them regularly. What better way to stay accountable than to set my goals on this forum and post regular updates? From what I've read so far other members of this forum will be very supportive and won't laugh too hard if I fail :wink:. Not that I plan to fail! I am more excited about Transformetrics than any other training system I have researched so far, and am confident that with perseverence and hard work I can make the mind-muscle connection which will take me to my goals!

While I'm not a big fan of competitions, the timing of Joe's "Spring Challenge" is perfect to help motivate me and keep me focussed so I have submitted photos. Given that I am in the Southern Hemisphere it will be an "Autumn Challenge" for me, which means I won't be able to show off my abs for the first time until next year (gives me longer to work on them, though :wink:).

Vision:
To honour God with my body (1 Corinthians 6:20), which means to eat and drink right and find a level of functional fitness which allows me to meet all my daily obligations (to family, friends, church and work) with energy and enthusiasm.

Specific goals:
By the end of the challenge to weigh 70 kg by loosing fat and building muscle.
To be able to do 5 consecutive pull-ups, 10 chin-ups and 30 push-ups.

Nutritional strategy:
My approach to nutrition is pretty simple: eat what I like, tastes good and is good for me in quantities which allow me to steadily reduce my bodyfat % without worrying about exact amounts, timing and carb/fat/protein ratios. The simplest (note not "easiest") way I have found to do this is to fast on a regular basis. Typically I will fast 5 times / week eating the evening meal and skipping breakfast and lunch. I try to eat a normal portion at dinner and minimise snacking afterwards. If I do feel hungry in the evening then nuts and fruit are preferable over more refined foods. If a family or work function takes place then I just break my fast early and enjoy it, while trying to avoid overeating and minimsing concentrated-calorie foods / drinks.

The more flexible my fasting the better to avoid stress and obsession over food!

Training strategy:
As I am still waiting for the Transformetric books to arrive I can't plan my exact strategy yet. While I wait I will follow the isometric exercises found in "How to Exercise Without Moving a Muscle". From the reading I've done so far, I will probably start on M7. Depending on how that goes I may supplement it with some isometrics as well. I find training in the morning is great for waking up, so intend to get out of bed 1/2 hour earlier than normal every day to get into a regular routine. It will also mean I am more alert and focussed for my daily devotions.

Progress tracking:
To provide some measurable markers of my progress I have benchmarked the following items. I plan to provide a progress report against each of them on a weekly basis. All measurements are taken in the morning before breakfast:
Weight: taken on electronic scales.
Bodyfat %: taken on electronic scales.
Stomach: circumference measured by tape measure at the level of the navel, muscles relaxed.
Chest: circumference measured at the level of the nipples, muscles relaxed.
Right bicep: arm bent at 90 degrees but not flexed.
Right thigh: at largest circumference, muscles relaxed.
Neck: measured below the larynx.
Shoulders: circumference measured just below collarbone.
Resting heartrate: taken immediately after rising in the morning before commencing training.
Pull-ups: hands held just wider than shoulders.
Chin-ups: performed after pull-ups following a few minutes' rest.
Push-ups: performed after chin-ups following a few minutes' rest.

All the best for everyone else doing the challenge!

M.

[mikey]

Benchmarks for start of challenge: 1st March 2010
Weight: 76.9 kg
Bodyfat %: 21.9 %
Stomach: 93 cm
Chest: 96 cm
Right bicep: 32 cm
Right thigh: 59 cm
Neck: 39 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm
Resting heartrate: 52 bpm
Pull-ups: 1
Chin-ups: 2
Push-ups: 18

[mikey]

Log 1st March 2010
Did "How to Exercise Without Moving a Muscle" (HTE from now on) workout in the morning. Due to sore shoulders skipped the neck & shoulder exercises.
Fasted until dinner. Ate a normal portion; no snacking.

[mikey]

Log 2nd March 2010
Did HTE in the morning. This time I only did isos at 75% of max as recommended by John in another post. I have the feeling that I'm learning how to recruit more muscles than when I first started (about 2 weeks ago). The feeling of the muscles during the day is interesting: no DOMS as I experienced training with weights, more like a fullness or tightness (but without pain).
My shoulders/neck are still a bit tense so I skipped them.

Fasted again until dinner. Normal portion, no snacking.

[mikey]

Log 3rd March 2010
HTE again in the morning. Shoulders almost normal but decided to rest them another day.
During the day had the feeling like I'd pinched a nerve in my lower back. Don't think it was due to training but can't be sure. Will see what it's like tomorrow.

Takeaway today. Ate a bit more than necessary but it tasted good :wink:

[mikey]

Log 4th March 2010
HTE again. My shoulder muscles felt good so I thought I'd try some light neck/shoulder isos. While they didn't hurt, I did notice the tenseness returning during the day so it's probably better if I give them a complete rest for a few days. I want to be ready for M7 when my book finally arrives (I'm really hoping it comes tomorrow, as it's a long weekend this weekend, which would be the idea time to fully read and digest it).
Lower back was fine - suspect it was just the tight neck making itself felt a bit further down the spine.

Ate slightly less than normal tonight, which helps to balance out yesterday!

[mikey]

Log 5th March
Today I took it easy, just doing a set of 10 power breaths, to allow my neck/shoulders to recover.

Friday is usually a higher calorie day as it starts of with a working breakfast, and then a company supplied lunch. Today I was very restrained and just ate a croissant; I didn't touch the iced bun! Lunch was a serving of lasagne. It was larger than I really needed, but I just hate to leave food on my plate. Programming from my childhood I suppose... To my credit I avoided the "empty calories" of orange juice and soft drink.

The books didn't arrive today so I'll have to wait until next week :crying:

[mikey]

Log 6th March 2010
Another rest day from isos other than some power breathing.
Did have a "workout" cleaning the church though - it's a big place! Was going to do some pruning in the garden but it rained. Not complaining about that though, it's the first decent rain in months!

Fasted up until mid afternoon, then snacked on a handful of almonds. Made pancakes (the French crepe type rather than the American ones) for the family, which always goes down well. The kids eat almost as many as me (5)!

Definitely noticing the belt is a little looser; looking forward to taking some measurements on Monday.

[mikey]

Log 7th March 2010
Again only power breathing this morning. After church I spent a few hours pruning in the garden which certainly worked my forearms (I use manual shears/loppers)!

Fasted until dinner, which was barbecued steak and snags (sausages). I'm really noticing I have less hunger and fill up more quickly if I fast regularly. Even if I want to, I just can't fit as much food into my stomach at one time as I used to. I have also made sure I always eat a good serve of veges, as my overall intake of nutritious food is reduced.

[mikey]

Update Week 1 : 8th March 2010

So here we are folks, the first week's update (drum roll):

Weight: 75.6 kg
Bodyfat %: 20.2 %
Stomach: 91 cm
Chest: 95 cm
Right bicep: 32 cm
Right thigh: 58 cm
Neck: 38.5 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm
Resting heartrate: 55 bpm
Pull-ups: 1
Chin-ups: 2
Push-ups: 22

I'm not getting too excited yet, as everything is within the margins of error for the measurement methods I'm using, but they confirm my feelings (e.g. belt fit) that I am losing fat. Since I've only done isos for part of the week I haven't expected any noticeable muscle gain, but at least I'm not going backwards strength-wise. Hopefully I can start M7 this week and start building strength and size!

[mikey]

Log 8th March 2010
Started isos again today, but very gently for neck and about 70% of max for other exercises. Noticed afterwards a slight increase in stiffness of shoulders, so it may be the "overhead press" exercise rather than the direct neck ones. Rather than stop the exercises altogether I might just proceed will them at a low level and see whether the muscles adapt. Apart from a little stiffness there is no pain or other indication that I doing damage...

Since it was a public holiday I had breakfast with the kids (they love porridge, of all things) and lunch and afternoon tea at my parents' place. Ate a little more than necessary but not so that I felt bloated. Will skip dinner and fast tomorrow as usual. If my fat loss continues at the rate indicated by this morning's results I am well on track to my target of 70kg. From previous experience, I can comfortably maintain an average loss of 1kg fat / week without feeling that my body's suffering.

[mikey]

Log 9th March 2010
Did some more isos this morning, skipping the neck/shoulders. Still a bit stiff but not painful.
M7 finally came so guess what I'm doing tomorrow :dance:

Dinner uneventful; not too little, not too much.
Off to read my new book now!

[mikey]

Log 10th March 2010
Did my first M7 workout today; a single set of 10 reps for each exercise. Didn't find it at all strenuous, but did feel during the day that certain muscles had been worked well. It seems to correlate with the muscles I was better able to control/flex/think into; I expect the others will come with practice. I'll have a look at the videos shortly in preparation for tomorrow to make sure I'm doing the exercises properly. I'll probably continue with a single set for a week and then build up to 3.

My right elbow "popped" a bit during some of the exercises and feels a bit tender so I'll have to watch that.

Had lunch with a client so broke my fast early (mmm Thai). To compensate I made do with a snack for dinner (nuts and dates).

[mikey]

Log 11th March 2010
Enjoyed my Tiger Moves more today as I spent less time reading the instructions and more time doing them. Tried a brief pause between every rep to relax the muscles (as was recommended in one of the threads here) but found that a bit disruptive to the flow so will try it without tomorrow. Found because the moves were more continuous that my heartrate got up a little. No doubt that will increase further as I push myself harder. Still tempted to try for more tension and/or sets but will be patient until I feel I am consistently tensing all the right muscles at the right time.

Today's fast got hard around 16:00, when I was sorely tempted to get a bag of chips for a snack. I suspect it was due to some particularly tedious work I was doing at the time (food has always helped cheer me up!). I resisted by picturing that I would have to confess in my log. Yay for online peer pressure :laugh:.
Had some leftovers and a salad for dinner and rewarded myself with a small dessert of oats. :smile:

[mikey]

Log 12th March 2010
Today was a great illustration of how flexible Transformetrics is. My little lad woke up at 02:00 with Croup. There was nothing I could do to help him but I couldn't sleep either due to the continuous coughing so decided to go to work and get an urgent job finished before everyone came in.

By the time I had completed my work it was still only 06:30 so I decided to do my workout in front of the mirror in the washroom. I could just remember all the Tiger Moves (although not the exact order) so I ran through them as discussed yesterday (maintaining tension between reps) with a Power Breath in-between. I was done in 15 minutes, hadn't made my office clothes all sweaty, and was re-energised to get some other stuff finished!

Today will definitely be a "refeeding day" with a work breakfast, company-sponsored lunch and visitors for dinner. That's OK, my fasting is flexible enough to accommodate that!

[mikey]

Log 13th March 2010
This morning I not only did the Tiger Moves for myself but taught them to my wife as well. She's keen to do them daily to build strength and fitness. Like yesterday, I found I could better engage my muscles, and the moves are becoming more fluid. I still don't feel like I'm pushing myself particularly hard, so I might start doing 2 sets soon and see how it goes.

Finished reading IPR today. Will definitely be a good complement to M7 to build strength fast.

I had lunch and afternoon tea at my parents' place; skipped dinner instead. How exciting...

[mikey]

Log 14th March 2010
Just when I thought it was getting too easy I had a significantly harder workout. I suspect my CNS is getting more efficient and can recruit more muscles. After the workout, for the rest of the day my muscles felt like they were lightly "buzzing". It was a strange feeling, not DOMS, not stiffness, more like being "full"...

Anyway, it might be good after all to stick with a single set for another week. I might also take it easier tomorrow to make sure I don't overdo it.

For lunch we went to a restaurant with my parents. They had a buffet there so I ate my fill; actually less than "normal", but definitely more than was comfortable for my little stomach (it has shrunk since I started fasting). I definitely didn't need any dinner!

[mikey]

Update Week 2: 15th March 2010
Weight: 75.5 kg
Bodyfat %: 19.6 %
Stomach: 90 cm
Chest: 94 cm
Right bicep: 31.5 cm
Right thigh: 57 cm
Neck: 38.5 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm
Resting heartrate: 55 bpm
Pull-ups: 1
Chin-ups: 1
Push-ups: 23

Interesting results. As I suspected, the number of "extra" meals this week (for work or with family) have added up. Even though I never gorged myself, the extra calories have been enough to slow my fat loss. While the bodyfat readings and measurements indicate a decrease in fat it is all within within the margins of error (daily weight can be +/- 1 kg, tape measurements +/- 1 cm) for my measuring methods so I will need to wait until at least next week to see if it is a real trend or not.

[mikey]

Log 15th March 2010
As I decided yesterday I took it a bit easier today. It's just as well because I felt pretty tired the whole day. I suspect the interrupted sleep of last week has taken its toll so I'll try and get a bit more rest.

Fasted through until dinner - enjoyed the pancakes and salad all the more!

[mikey]

Log 16th March 2010
Went to bed a little earlier last night which was refreshing. Did the Tiger Moves in the morning at moderate tension. Think I got the balance right - had a good workout without feeling I had overdone it.

Dinner was uneventful.

[mikey]

Log 17th March 2010
Timed my Tiger Moves this morning and took 12 minutes for a set, which may indicate I'm overdoing it a bit for "moderate". Will ask on the forum for advice.

Broke fast early to enjoy a piece of birthday cake for one of the women at work. Chicken and chips for dinner - ended up to be a bit much...

[mikey]

Log 18th March 2010
Decided to speed up my moves this morning and do 2 sets. Still managed to achieve the same level of tension while reducing the set time down to 7 minutes. That disproves my hypothesis that tension and speed are inversely proportional (see thread in John's forum)!

Enjoyed tacos for dinner.

[mikey]

Log 19th March 2010
2 sets at moderate tension in about 15 minutes. Think I'm starting to get the hang of this.

Quiche for breakfast, cheesecake for morning tea and pizza for lunch. The traditionalists would squirm :wink:

[mikey]

Log 20th March 2010
Feel like I'm making some progress. My stomach muscles are noticeably stronger and better support my stomach.

I also pushed myself harder this morning for my 2 sets and it felt like a "real" workout (heartrate up, starting to sweat).

Fasted until the afternoon when I had a few nibbles and a glass of wine at a client's social event. Bowl of cereal in the evening for a change (I like my muesli). Finished off snacking on a handful of pistachios.

[mikey]

Log 21st March 2010
Did another 2 light sets this morning. Seem to have a reasonable mind/muscle connection going so may try a bit heavier tomorrow. Read elsewhere in the forum that 1 light set as warmup followed by 1 heavy set has been good so might try that. I'm not really a high volume type of guy, prefer less volume more intensity.

Found my fast hard today but stuck with it and enjoyed a frittata (first try of the recipe, tastes superb with our homegrown free-range eggs!) and salad for dinner, followed by a banana quark dessert made by my lovely wife to spoil me. Quark, for those who don't know but care, is a type of cottage cheese popular in Germany. It has a smooth, creamy consistency while being low in fat and high in protein, and a mildly sour taste (similar to joghurt, but is much firmer). I love it, and have only just found a source of it in Adelaide. It's quite expensive, though, so I may try making it myself - there are a few recipes on the net.

[mikey]

Update Week 3: 22nd March 2010
Weight: 73.9 kg
Bodyfat %: 19.2%
Stomach: 90 cm
Chest: 95 cm
Right bicep: 31 cm
Right thigh: 56 cm
Neck: 38.5 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm
Resting heartrate: 55 bpm
Pull-ups: 1
Chin-ups: 2
Push-ups: 24

Looks like I'm on track to exceed my weight target, although I'd like to build muscle as well as lose fat. Certainly it looks like I'm not losing muscle with fat, as my lean body mass is staying constant and my strength isn't dropping off. Hopefullly now that I'm into heavier sets of Tiger Moves I'll see some changes there.

[mikey]

Log 22nd March 2010
As discussed yesterday I did one light and one heavy set. It feels like the right move at this stage as by going heavier I was able to tense some muscles I hadn't activated earlier (e.g. the lats). Given that I don't have great muscle control yet I don't think I'll fry my CNS with a daily heavy set but I'll keep an eye on it.

Fasting today was hard again - it always happens when I have something at work which is difficult or boring. It shows how "hunger" is as much an emotional as a physical sensation! Dinner was fairly simple, but enjoyed a dessert for a change and a few almonds.

[mikey]

Log 23rd March 2010
Sorry, didn't get to posting yesterday due to a church meeting after work.

I continued to do 1 light and 1 heavy set of the Tiger Moves today. Can't really say it was particularly good or bad - I think I just need to persevere and get the mind-muscle connection working strong and consistent.

Nothing special to report on the diet front.

[mikey]

Log 24th March 2010
Another 2 sets of Tiger Moves this morning. I sometimes question whether I'm going hard enough, since I don't have DOMS to tell me I've worked out, but the stiffness/soreness isn't missed :smile: . And I do notice some muscles feel "used", so I'm sure something is happening. On the positive side, I never approach my morning workout thinking "not again", or having to psyche myself up to get moving. In general I think I'm more energised (although with stress at work it's sometimes hard to tell), so much so that I'm keen to try doing a bit more. To avoid the risk of overtaining I think I might try running through the stretches in IPR - I've always been keen to up my flexibility. OK, I'm off to do that now.

Pancakes tonight - my favourite (and the kids': my 5 year old eats more of them than I do :wink: ).

[mikey]

Log 25th March 2010
I did 6 reps of each of the "Magnificent Seven" last night. I'll continue to do them over the next few weeks, gradually building up the reps, to inprove my flexibility and use it as a warmup for isos later on.

Did the Tiger Moves again this morning. Still enjoying them. Get the feeling my muscles are starting to harden up because of them.

Fish 'n' chips for dinner. Yum!

[mikey]

Log 26th March 2010
Did 7 reps of each Magnificent Seven exercises last night. This morning did the normal Tiger Moves.

Had a working breakfast, Indian for lunch, and a light picnic at my boy's school, so plenty of food today.
Did 8 reps of each Magnificent Seven this evening. Find they're great for stretching the muscles and some of the exercises get the heartrate up too. Happy to continue like this for now.

[mikey]

Log 27th March 2010
Did the Tiger Moves this morning. Plan to do 9 reps of stretches before going to bed.

Skipped breakfast, had lunch with my parents, then afternoon tea, then dinner, now snacking on nuts... Tsk tsk. :smile:

[mikey]

Log 28th March 2010
Tiger Moves this morning. Did 10 reps of stretches in the evening, followed by my benchmarking.

Had porridge with the kids for breakfast, a moderate lunch and skipped dinner. Back to fasting tomorrow, I'm afraid...

[mikey]

Update Week 4: 29th March 2010
Weight: 74.7 kg
Bodyfat %: 19.1%
Stomach: 89 cm
Chest: 95 cm
Right bicep: 31.5 cm
Right thigh: 57 cm
Neck: 38.5 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm
Resting heartrate: 57 bpm
Pull-ups: 1
Chin-ups: 2
Push-ups: 27

Interesting set of results there. I've "gained" weight (still within the margin of error for the scales, though) but other indicators say I've lost fat... Judging how I look and feel I do seem to be improving muscle definition and increasing strength slightly (note pushups are up). I have been having problems activating my back muscles (particularly the lats) so it's not surprising that my chins and pull-ups have not improved yet. After 2 more weeks of Tiger Moves I plan to add ISOs to the mix, so it will be interesting to see how things change between now and the end of the challenge.

[mikey]

Log 29th March
Had a good 2-set workout this morning. In the evening I just didn't feel right, so decided to skip my stretches and go to bed early.

Fasted until dinner, then had a handful of pistachios as a snack.

[mikey]

Log 30th March 2010
I'm glad I listened to my body last night because I woke up with a sore throat. Did one moderate set of Tiger Moves but decided to skip the heavy set. Feeling really miserable now so now stretches tonight - just another early night instead...

Felt miserable all day at work so decided to eat lunch for a change. Got a pizza from the local Lebanese bakery and splurged on 2 backlava as well. The comfort was short-lived and I ended up feeling even more miserable afterwards (should have known better). Had a light dinner, mainly salad to compensate.

I suspect I'll still be out of sorts tomorrow morning so won't plan in a workout then (better to sleep a bit longer). If I'm OK in the evening I'll make up for it then.

[mikey]

Log 31st March 2010
Wow, end of my first month doing Transformetrics - that has certainly gone quickly!

As I guessed yesterday, I am out of action today (probably tomorrow as well). On the bright side, at least I am learning to read my body correctly :smile: . At least it gives me a chance to catch up on a few things like reading through the forum too.

Don't really feel hungry so today's fast is going easy. At least I can still work on one of my goals (fat loss) while I'm stuck in bed :smile: . I might munch on a bit of fruit later in the afternoon. Interestingly I'm not really craving any fatty/sugary foods. The fasts are certainly helping with that, as well as the aim on snacking on nuts rather than more refined things. Not that I was ever much of a sweet-tooth, but I do enjoy my carbs.

I'm just rambling now so had best stop.

Forgot to mention I sound like Darth Vader when I speak at the moment. Cool!

[mikey]

Log 1st April 2010
Still sick; this cold has really hit my lungs hard... :crying: Hoping I can get back to my Tiger Moves tomorrow (if only very gently).

Fasted until late afternoon, then snacked on some nuts. Had some nice pancakes for dinner.

[mikey]

Log 2nd April 2010
Still sick; grrr.

Made fried salmon with a warm couscous salad for Good Friday lunch. Very nice, except that the kitchen now stinks like fish...
Snacked on nuts and dried fruit in the evening.

[mikey]

Log 3rd April 2010
Feeling a bit better today. Still got lots of rubbish in the lungs but can otherwise move and function reasonably normally. Took the boy to Grandma's for some Easter baking to get him and me out of the house (cabin fever).

Enjoyed some German breadrolls for lunch, and a small portion of fish and chips for dinner (wasn't feeling so hungry after the lunch so deliberately took less on my plate which worked well).

[mikey]

Log 4th April 2010
Happy Easter everyone!

Today I felt better than I had for a few days so decided to do one moderate set of the Tiger Moves. It was good to get the body going again and I didn't suffer from any ill effects.

After church we went to my parents' place to celebrate Easter. I enjoyed a BBQ meal with plenty of salad and 2 slices of cake for afternoon tea, but managed to avoid the temptation of chocolate Easter eggs!

After having been up all day I was definitely more tired than usual so went to bed early (19:30!).

[mikey]

Update Week 5: 5th April 2010
Weight: 74.0 kg
Bodyfat %: 18.2%
Stomach: 89.5 cm
Chest: 94 cm
Right bicep: 31 cm
Right thigh: 55 cm
Neck: 37.5 cm
Shoulders: 106 cm
Resting heartrate: Not measured - elevated due to illness
Pull-ups: Not done due to illness
Chin-ups: Not done due to illness
Push-ups: Not done due to illness

It looks like my fat loss has plateaued. This is probably due to reduced activity due to my illness and slightly increased calorie intake over Easter and due to snacks. I will have to watch the little extras I eat before and/or after the main meal on fasting days.

[mikey]

Log 5th April 2010
Today I was feeling quite a bit better so I was able to clean out the spare room in preparation for visitors in a few weeks' time. I did quite a lot of walking and moderately heavy lifting (shifting furniture around) which was reasonably strenous so I decided not to do a workout in case I overdid it.

Fasted until dinner.

[mikey]

Log 6th April 2010
After clearing out my lungs and sinuses this morning (not a pretty sight) I did a moderate set of Tiger Moves. Decided to have breakfast for a change, oats and granola, before going to work. Certainly needed the energy, as spent a lot of time coughing and sneezing...

I'm really starting to get sick of this cold!

[mikey]

Log 7th April 2010
Did a moderate set of Tiger Moves followed by a heavy set. My heartrate increased quite rapidly so I decided to stop the set after 3 moves so as not to overdo it. Apart from the gunk in my lungs felt pretty good. Coughing has also reduced so I seem to be getting better, if only slowly.

Fasted until dinner - found it really easy for a change. The kids wanted Chinese for dinner (we allow ourselves one takeaway a week); tasted good.

[mikey]

Log 8th April 2010
Did one set of moderate and the remaining half of the heavy set. Health almost back to normal except for a cough I can't shake...

Fasted up until dinner.

[mikey]

Log 9th April 2010
Feeling normal again except for the cough. Did 1 moderate and 1 heavy set of Tiger Moves. Mind-muscle connection seems to be much stronger as I was able to do a really heavy set, ending up with DOMS in the lats and delts.

Enjoyed 3 square meals today.

[mikey]

Analysis of First Half of Challenge
In the past few weeks I have been doing much reading and thinking about how to continue with the second half of the challenge. While it has not gone perfectly (I only started Transformetrics a week after the challenge started, and have lost a week due to illness) I am not unhappy with my progress. However, to meet my goals I believe I will have to make some changes to my training as follows:

Strength:
At my last benchmark I had almost reached my push-ups goal, but had not seen any improvement in chin/pull-ups. Since then I have started to better connect my mind with my back muscles (particularly lats and delts) so I would hope to start seeing improvements through DVRs alone. However, I am keen to integrate isos into my programme, so plan to do so using the IPR routine starting Monday. To this end I have started doing the Magnificent 7 warm up routine, which I will do every morning prior to isos. I will continue to do the Tiger Moves as well, but will shift them to the evening to spread the timing across the day.

Nutrition:
Through fasting I have seen my weight drop 3kg, not quite half of what is needed to reach my target of 70kg. That figure was reasonably arbitrary, based on what I know I can consistently lose through fasting rather than an "ideal" weight. My preference would actually be to remain around 74kg and replace the fat with muscle.

Currently, for various reasons chronicled in other posts, my fat loss has plateaued. While I could cut calories further to break through the plateau, I believe it would be more healthy to increase calories somewhat to stabilise my weight and help my body to build muscle. While this may slow my fat loss, it will be more sustainable over the long term, which is what I am aiming for. To that end I plan to eat breakfast most days (since I can do so quite healthily, as well as sharing another meal with the kids), but skip lunch, which is when I am most tempted to eat junk food. I will continue at least 1 fast a week to help compensate for my "refeed" day on Fridays.

Otherwise I have definitely improved the quality of my food, reducing junk food to almost nothing, and significantly increasing the amount of vegetables I eat.

Other goals:
One of my other goals during this period was to regularly read the Bible. By doing my training immediately upon waking followed by a devotion I have increased my alertness and regularity of Bible studies. My only weakness is weekends when I tend to sleep in and/or change my routine so that I sometimes skip a devotion. I catch up with the missed reading at the next devotion, though.

[mikey]

Log 10th April 2010
In preparation for starting isos on Monday I did 10 reps of the Mag7 this morning with the kids.
In the evening I only did 1 set of Tiger Moves due to lingering DOMS in the back muscles (not that they were so sore that I couldn't train, but I took it as a sign to take it easy to avoid overtraining).

Nutrition was a mixed bag: I ate breakfast with the kids, ate a few less-than-healthy snacks for lunch, and enjoyed ice cream for dessert after dinner. I'll fast tomorrow to balance it out :wink: .

[mikey]

Log 11th April 2010
This morning I completed 11 reps of the Mag7. This evening I did 2 sets of 10 Tiger Moves, 1 moderate and 1 heavy. The heavy set was a ripper! It really worked the muscles and got the heartrate up. The only problem was I worked out too late in the evening and couldn't get to sleep...

I fasted during the day and enjoyed afternoon tea and dinner at my parents'.

[mikey]

Log 12th April 2010
Started on isos today. Warmed up with the Mag7 and then did the first day's group (neck, arms, pecs).
This evening I did another 2 sets (1 moderate, 1 heavy) of the Tiger Moves.

I breakfasted with the kids, skipped lunch, and enjoyed a burger and chips for dinner (plus a bit of dessert afterwards). Life is good.

[mikey]

Update, End of Challenge
In the last 6 weeks I haven't had the chance to post due to visitors, manic work and building a new shed. I have however continued with Transformetrics as best I can, keeping track of my activities in my diary.

A few comments on the second half of the challenge:

ISOs and TMs together were too intense; after a further 2 weeks I switched to alternating between 3 days of ISOs, 1 day of TMs and 1 day rest - repeat.
In the last 2 weeks I switched from Tiger Moves to VRT, and alternated between 1 day ISOs, 1 days VRT etc, with 1 rest day per week.
In clearing the spare room for the visitors I had to dismantle my power rack, so I couldn't continue my pull-up/chin-up benchmarking.

[mikey]

Update Week 6: 12th April 2010
Weight: 74.0 kg
Bodyfat %: 19%
Stomach: 89.5 cm
Chest: 93.5 cm
Right bicep: 31 cm
Right thigh: 57 cm
Neck: 38 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm

[mikey]

Update Week 7: 18th April 2010
Weight: 73.8 kg
Bodyfat %: 18.6 %
Stomach: 89.5 cm
Chest: 94 cm
Right bicep: 31 cm
Right thigh: 57 cm
Neck: 38 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm

[mikey]

Update Week 8: 25th April 2010
Weight: 73.7 kg
Bodyfat %: 19.5%
Stomach: 88 cm
Chest: 93.5 cm
Right bicep: 31 cm
Right thigh: 57 cm
Neck: 38 cm
Shoulders: 107 cm

[mikey]

Sorry, on an overseas trip at the moment. Ran out of time to publish the remaining results before I flew out. Will post the remaining results when I get back home.