SPARTACUS - Fat to Fit to Fab

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Spartacus Mars

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Hi all

I'm 42, male, starting-weight obese (245 lbs, 111 kg) at 5'11, a combination of food love and sedentary life (there are very few in the world who can beat me in Modern Warfare 2 if I'm rocking the Holo-M16, bwahahah).

So on 20 April 2012 joined the Glasgow Life municipal gym scheme, means I can use any council facility and unlimited classes. Have a small gym and weekend classes within walking distance, ten minute drive to choice of sports complexes with daytime classes, plus pools, steam, sauna, etc. Good value.

I started doing as many Les Mills Body Attacks as I could find per week. Now I'm doing two Body Attacks and two Body Combats per weekend, plus four Body Attacks during the week. Eight hours of Les Mills music each week... oh god the pain. I'm also managing to get in two or three hours on the Treadmill (not jogging, fast, varied, steep interval training always with boxing, punching, hand raising, disco arms, whatever, timed to unrelenting techno). As the start of July I added three half-hour early-morning Meta-Fit HIIT classes to the week-days.

I have one day a week (Monday) off for recovery.

After 11 or so weeks of battering this hard I'm (hops on) 218 lbs, 99 kg, a fair whack in that time-frame. (Can it really be a kilo of flab a week?). I have easily the same amount of fat to burn, and then some. No bio-mechanical niggles have cropped-up and feeling very fit and "breathy" (as distinct from "out-of-breathy").

I'm also eating like a horse, though modifying my diet. Smaller dinners, more food during the day, more fruit, the "fitness usual" mix of nuts and seeds (I'm making a point of a daily nut/seed munch), "snacks" like half a tin of tuna, Greek yoghurt, poached eggs, etc. rather than processed crap, cake, etc. I've cut out most (not all) empty calories, but I have not cut out food. Far from it. That I can tell I haven't lost muscle mass, it's the fat that's been cut - from double chin to square jaw.

Only supplements so far are Multivitamins with Minerals and Omega-3 rich Fish Oil capsules.

I'm not feeling weak either, have gained crazy core strength. Body Attack/Combat is very jumpy and skippy, very balls of toes. From there my calves, thighs, hips, and abs feel strong, I'm starting to feel bouncy (even though I have still a fair amount of weight around the middle). Certainly showing more endurance in classes. This is good as I was disco-fit in my 30s and want to get back to that.

My plan is to continue this, at this intensity, over the summer until I've burnt all the flab right off. I think I have a full schedule for cardio/burn classes, but want to improve the nutrition, and start to add weights. I've got a fairly big frame, looking to grow and get strength in the upper - arms, shoulders, back, chest - and compliment and improve the torso and legs the classes have started to do wonders on.

I'm going to go through the weight machines available to me (simply don't have someone who can spot me on free weights yet) and see what kind of muscle-mass routine I can start from them.
 
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Wow, you've been busy. Congratulations on the 12kg weight (by the sounds of things, fat) loss so far and perservering with all the hard work in the gym. Sounds like you've been getting some great results so far.:action3:
 
Here's my current, weekly fitness classes schedule. Just the stuff that has instructors/time-tables.

MONDAY
[rest]

TUESDAY
7AM Meta-Fit 30m
10AM Body Attack 1h

WEDNESDAY
11AM Body Attack 1h

THURSDAY
7AM Meta-Fit 30m
7PM Body Combat 1h

FRIDAY
7AM Meta-Fit 30m
9AM Body Combat 1h

SATURDAY
9AM Body Attack 1h
11AM Meta-Fit 2x30m (have switched from a Body Combat to do these, will see how they work out)

SUNDAY
10AM Body Attack 1h
11AM Body Combat 1h

That's the framework I have to work-around. I work evenings except Thursday hence the daytime workouts.

This week (all/most weeks) in the afternoons, Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, have done 1 hour cardio in the gym. About 40 minutes on a treadmill going up hills with strong punches and arm raising (including a warm-up); and either 30 minutes on a bike doing intervals, or 30 minutes on a rowing machine just trying to get ashore in the storm.

Not sure how to keep the journal. I'm living in a bizarre world of seven Groundhog Days. IE all my Wednesdays (etc.) are identical to each other now.

Maybe next posts I'll review the classes and review my diet.
 
Wow good job.
Gosh, I got worried about back injuries with my lack of co-ordination! How do you go with that?
I figured if I wanted to do more of this stuff I might to get a little bit of personal training on the side. Which do you think has less co-ordination and likelihood of injury.. body attack or combat? I really enjoy them but yeah I had to opt for cycle/boxing classes instead.. also cause i have arthritis and didn't want to risk it.. however i really loved attack and want to get back into it.. any tips? >.> sorry for the ramble.
 
Sorry for late reply. Today was the first rest day in weeks. I'm still amazed I've done, with a couple of exceptions, a *daily* Les Mills session, or two, since May.

I've moved to 11 Body Attack sessions per week. I've dropped Combat completely. Combat for my money is more risky if you're old, fat, unfit, and/or have weak joints as it's just beat-based kicks. It just seems more twisty and risky than Attack. In Body Attack I have complete control over my body at all times. If you have a pulled muscle there is little you can do in Combat, but Attack always has a low-impact option. My advice is to go daily, and keep going. Practise really makes Body Attack.

Down to 202 lb/92 kilos, and still tons of flab left to batter...
 
Because I have to tell SOMEONE...

Had a facial mole removed on Friday (currently Sunday). Not a malignant type one or anything (though they always do precautionary biopsies) but it really prominent and in the beard area so sometimes got battered by the electric razor.

The nurses weren't that worried about it so offered my the choice of scraping it off or incision, consensus was to go for the scrape, the can always excise the root at a later stage if desired.

Anyway, I have some bio-bandage on my face at the moment so can't sweat, can't exercise even though I feel fine. There's wound-check this Friday and was told I could resume exercise the following Monday (a ten day break in total) but I think I'll go a day earlier as I really like the Sunday class.

Anyway, forced sedentary activity is driving me up the wall. I've got Half Life 2 downloaded and have been making a mess of other players in Modern Warfare 2's Team Tactical online, but still going stir-crazy. I'll be going out for an hour's walk today, have a big park linked to our famous Botanical Gardens, so at least I'll get to stretch the legs and get some fresh air, and I do know a bit of recovery time won't hurt me.


Still, has set me back a week and a bit... :sad3:
 
Not that anybody cares but I'm still doing the classes, each day, every day. Rest day gone. Have found I can do a Body Attack class now, all moves at the high impact/energy option, without getting massacred by it. Have definitely got stronger "on the balls of the feet", more endurance, not getting out of breath by just breathing (heh).

Sunday: Spin Fit & Body Attack, few hours later Body Attack
Monday: Body Attack
Tuesday: Body Attack
Wednesday: Spin Fit & Body Attack
Thursday: Body Attack, Equipment Circuits, few hours later Body Attack
Friday: Body Attack, few hours later Body Attack
Saturday: Body Attack, Body Attack

Unfortunately my diet has gone downhill. I'm eating healthy food AND enjoyable food in pretty large quantities. So my weight has stabilised even as I am doing the cardio work. I'm going to have to start getting serious on the diet, late-night eating, etc.

I've had a look around the weights and machines of the gym too. Done some machine work, love the cable machines, but after a lot of research have decided to do a 5X5 program for a few months. I'm going to keep the cardio (mostly in the mornings), have a rest, and do the weights in the afternoon. Alternating routine of Squats, Bench Press, Row; & Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlift).

Have good quality Whey and Casein ordered. Will add a skimmed shake of each per day.

Resolution for December onwards: clean up the ****ing diet.
 
Today was the first day of starting the StrongLifts 5x5 3 month routine, my weight-lifting début.

Watched several form tutorials on YouTube before leaving for the gym.

The weights room of my gym is unbelievably Spartan. Several benches, something for dips and chin-ups (which is good as they're part of the plan when I'm stronger), not THAT many plates (but some handy 1.25kg fractionals), a big rack of dumbbells, and a weedy press-stand masquerading as a squat stand. It wobbles when you touch it and there's no safety catch. To my untrained eye it seems pretty dangerous but it's this or the squat machine, and I'm trying to avoid using that. I'll get some photos.

Day 1 has no warm-ups as the weight is minimal.

Squats. Empty bar. 10x5. Did the extra to practise form.
Bench Press. Empty bar. 5x5.
Barbell Row. Bar+10kg, 5x5.

And that's it. Pretty heroic stuff. Wasn't expecting to feel anything, obviously, but have noticed with even just the weight of the 20kg (I think) bar (and admittedly double the reps) I can feel a bit of pain/sensation in my thighs, which I thought were getting pretty fit thanks to the cardio.

Well, just my regular Tuesday cardio tomorrow, but looking forward to Wednesday when I get to put some actual weights onto the bar...
 
Good job getting onto SL5x5. Sounds to me like the gym's got squat uprights rather than a squat rack or power rack, but that'll become more clear once you post up some pics.

Did you do 10 sets of 5, or 5 sets of 10 on the squats?

Technique training can be brutal. The last couple sessions I benched with only about 60-70%1RM, but found it tougher than the same reps with another 20kg on the bar because of technique. So I'm not surprised that working with the empty bar was tougher than the poundage suggests it should be.
 
Yeah. Squat uprights. Fairly flaky ones. Aside from being wobbly, the tops are even "V" shaped rather than one side of the V being higher to guide the barbell in. I can see these bad boys either giving me the body of an Olympic God or sending me directly to Hades.

I did 10 reps, 5 sets. Obviously the 5x5 itself isn't a silver bullet, it could be 4x6 or 6x4, etc., the "secret" in the program is the gradual, progressive loading to some seriously heavy weights. Tomorrow I add a mighty 1.25kg to each side of the bar. Scary stuff! Hulk Smash! Grrr!

Also have both my protein powders, which I start tomorrow, each with skimmed milk. Whey post workout, Casein a few hours later.
 
I remember one of the guys I used to know from an old gym, similar power training style but like 2 or 3 of me, used to refer to the polo mint principal. Take a massive weight that you can lift, then add a polo mint to either side, it suddenly becomes immovable.
There is nothing puny about 1.25s I use them and everyone who loves strength training will dread them more than any other. Because this is what you will be adding when you know deep down adding more is likely to result in failure. Flip side they are also the weights where you feel awesome when you have lifted it.

Don't like the sound of those squat supports. I prefer a rack, obviously, but have used stands before and they are what you get in competition, along with 3 spotters. Never seen any with equal v though. I would say it's good you are starting light. By the time you are shifting anything larger you will be used to the stands and co-ordinating to put the bar back on them. I don’t know what the atmosphere in your gym is like but most places I have trained there are several who will be more than happy to help you back onto the stands, even if not training with you.
 
Actually the time of day I'm going (afternoons, cardio is for mornings, work in the evenings) there are very few guys around at all.

Am definitely going to have to have a word with the gym manager. They do have a squat machine but no freaking way am I using if (if I can help it).
 
As long as you are working well within your squat ability the gender or strength of the person helping you back onto the rack will be irrelevant.
All they will need to do is guide one side of the bar into place as you focus on the other end. This requires virtually no strength at all as you will be holding the weight up they will simply be directing the bar.
Definitely have words though. This is fine for now but if you start getting into serious weights it will become an issue, even if only mental. The council memberships will be gity or area wide if like here so it may be worth asking if there is a rack at another gym and doing some sessions there. When I was in the wilds of the Westcountry the closest decent and affordable gym was 3 miles away and I used cycling there for my warm up. Back then I was training for £3 a week, my ballet classes were half that for an hour.
 
That's two weeks of StrongLifts done. No struggles yet. Nicely finding form. I have thin arms compared to legs, and mostly my cardio is legs/core based, so expect to fail on the arm stuff first.

Having started with an empty 20 KG bar, the Squat is now at 32.5 KG, Overhead Press at 25 KG, Deadlift at 50 KG, Bench Press at 25 KG, and Barbell Row at 35 KG. (All figures including bar). I know - impressive stuff. I bet you're all scared!!

It seems silly (to me) the Rows are heavier than the squats, but it doesn't last. You do twice as many Squats as the other exercises, so they're equal by the end of week 3 and by week 4 the Squats are heavier, and so it progresses.

Cant say it's very taxing at the moment, but as each session adds 2.5 KG to each exercise it won't be many more weeks before I'm struggling...

Still doing all the cardio Body Attack classes. As Squats take their toll I'll decide which ones might need to go to give a bit of recovery room.
 
You are going to do well. Being patient, sensible and keeping to a long term program, all the ingredients for long term success.
Squats are a technique based exercise so getting to grips with them on light weight first is essential. Rowing is a lot easier to learn, so weight will be heavier in early stages.
 
Starting Strength and StrongLifts both feel a bit silly for the first few weeks if you've had any previous conditioning, but the silliness will wear off soon enough. The first time I did SS, I was well and truly able to squat more than I could bench, but my starting squat was lighter than bench for the same reason that your rows are currently heavier than your squat. Squat'll surpass your rows very soon (next couple sessions), and it'll all be good.

I imagine you'll probably get halfway through the program before it becomes hard work, when you're squatting 60kg and pressing 40kg (if you haven't deloaded your overhead press yet -- OHP and rows will usually be the first exercises to stall, then bench, then squats, then finally deadlifts). Around this time, you may have to start choosing between squats and bodyattack. If it were me, at that point in the program I'd drop the last 2 sets of each exercise (except deadlifts, obviously, since they only have 1 set), and probably be doing body attack on the same day as SL, after the strength training is done. If you aren't doing a bunch of assistance exercises (which you shouldn't be -- only stuff I'd add to SL is some pull ups, calf raises and hyperextensions), this should be fairly manageable on the day (even if you need something to eat/drink other than water between the two), and it'll give you two days recovery between workouts, which you're going to need sooner or later.
 
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