by EM2WL | Mar 21, 2013 | Tracking Progress
Let’s face it. The scale is a one trick pony. And if we’re being perfectly honest, it doesn’t even do that trick well most of the time.
When living the slower paced, fat loss lifestyle, it’s best to have a multitude of measuring tools to gauge progress. While the scale is the one that we tend to think of first, we should be sure to include other methods of checking for body composition changes as well. Using a tape measure often helps us to discover NSV’s (Non Scale Victories) when the scale is beating us down. But what happens if it seems like your measurements aren’t changing either?
While on rare occasion it may be true that measurements aren’t changing, it’s often an issue of not measuring properly. When measuring clients (or myself) for progress, there are a few things that I always do.
- Some tips for taking measurements: jot down the exact location of the measurement so that you always hit the same spot. For instance, if you’re measuring chest, jot down exactly how many inches from your armpit you put the tape. For belly, measure at the belly button. For calves, put how many inches below kneecap, etc.. Just remember that the actual chest, can shift in location (up if you’re lifting, down if you’re not), but your armpits, hopefully, will not. So don’t try to follow the actual location of the chest or other “moving” part. Pick spots that won’t move in location. It’s too easy to be off by simply having the tape off an inch or so up or down each time you measure. Measuring the same spots each time will allow for better tracking of results.
- When taking hip measurements it’s also a good idea to take a “split” measurement. Ladies who are lifting heavy, may notice an increase in hip measurement, due to the booty lifting (which is a good thing, who wants a saggy booty?). But if you take both a full and “split” measure (meaning front hip to hip, and back hip to hip) you will know exactly which side the increase/decrease comes from. If your total increase is .5 inch, but it’s all on the back side, then you know not to be alarmed (unless you want a saggy booty?). A higher, rounded, butt will show up on the tape (and so will a “lift” in the girls – so the same tip applies to chest).
- The area doesn’t have to be specific. Just specific to you. Sometimes we can get so caught up in doing things “right,” that we lose sight of the purpose of measuring. You are measuring your progress. It doesn’t have to be the same spots as someone else, just the same spots that you measured before. So although the belly button isn’t a natural waist, it doesn’t move, so your measurement needs to center around it. So if your lower belly is your problem area, you could choose to always measure an inch or two below the belly button. Then you’re still basing it on a non moving part. Same thing with thighs, pick something like your hip bone/bikini line area, measure down (or measure up from the knee), to your preferred spot, and jot it down. Always check that same area for progress.
- Don’t measure after working out, unless you need an ego boost after a good bicep workout. For the same reasons that weighing after an intense workout (or even the next day or two after) can be a huge mistake, you’d be best to stay away from the tape when you’re likely to be retaining extra water. Leg measurements will be higher after leg day, and upper body after day of heavy upper lifts. HIIT or other high intensity workouts could cause you to retain a bit of water too. Give yourself a day or so after working the part before measuring it. Getting into a consistent measuring schedule (same time of day/week/between workouts) should help prevent many measuring snafus.
- Don’t measure daily. This should be obvious, but I’ll state it anyway. The tape, just as every other tool, is just a tool. Don’t become obsessive with any tool and allow it to consume you as you wait for it to move. Just live the life. Eat. Exercise. Repeat. Measure ever so often to reassure yourself that you’re on the right track. But don’t sit around and wait for it. There’s way too much life out there to be lived, and you’re supposed to be taking it back from the all consuming mentality of dieting. If you’re doing everything right, change will happen. Typically while you’re not looking, and typically not in a linear fashion.
- If you’re doing the measuring with no help, do yourself a favor and grab a Myotape. It makes measuring a breeze, since it snaps into place around the specific part, and then tightens for you to grab the measurement.
If it’s been 4-6 weeks, you are sure that you are measuring properly and still aren’t seeing changes in measurements, scale weight, body fat %, or pictures, be sure to visit our forum for troubleshooting.
by EM2WL | Mar 19, 2013 | Building Muscle, Testimonials, The Journey
Just wanted to give an update on my journey.
When I last talked to you guys, I was planning on bulking in the winter. Well, I did end up diving right in. I plugged all my info into the Scooby calculator and started out with my bulk calories at 2500/day. I stayed away from the scale and measuring tape for a month, just in case any initial weight gain would mess with my head. My workouts were amazing!! I felt like my strength was through the roof. I was hitting PRs in every workout and I loved it. I quit cardio cold turkey for bulk. Had been planning that and didn’t miss it a bit. Everything felt great, I felt lean, etc. Hopped on the scale and I had lost almost a pound. Upped my bulk cals to 2700 and started in on that number.
2700 cals/day with just 3 hours of lifting/week was what worked for me to gain slowly. No cardio, stayed away from the scale. Felt great some days, felt like none of my clothes fit me other days (and they didn’t). It was definitely a mind trip. I remember messaging Kiki and saying, “I’m pretty sure all I gained was fat. None of my pants fit, wahhhhh.” I hadn’t been taking pictures, but one day decided to randomly take a picture of my back. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Some of that “fat” I gained was starting to look like the beginning of lats. I was thrilled. I was about 10 lbs up from my starting bulk weight at that point.
Couldn’t take the constant mental battle, so around the end of January I decided to go back down to maintenance (2500 cals/day). Stayed there until almost March and then started cutting at a small deficit (around 200 cals/day). It’s been working well. The scale says I’m only down 2 pounds, but my pants fit again and I feel lean again. Well, most of the time. lol
Big part: In February, my sister and I started talking about running races for the upcoming season. (We ran a handful of 5ks and 3 half marathons last year.) Something that has always been on my bucket list is to run a marathon. Guess what?? I’m going for it this year. I know….I know….I just finished bulking. Now I’m running a marathon?? What’s the point? Well, I did bulk, yes. And I do know that my goal of a marathon may cause me to lose muscle I gained during bulk, but I’m going for it. I plan to keep a small deficit throughout training (more food!! Yes! You will not hear any complaints from me there).
Current plan: I continue to lift heavy. I know when my long runs hit upwards of 10 miles I may not be able to do heavy squats right before. My plan is to lift following Stronglifts 5×5 two times/week, lift heavy upper body once/week, and run 4 days/week. I have to run and lift on the same day a lot, but so far it’s been working well. If I feel I need an additional rest day I drop a lifting day because my goal now is to train for this marathon.
It’s been a great learning experience…what with my first mini-bulk (can’t wait for the next bulk). Yep, I plan to bulk again. Starting in the fall (marathon in is June, but I’m not going to be bulking in June.) hehe. Hopefully I’ll be a little more prepared for all the mental games. I’m excited to see where all my running will take me. I’ve already logged over 50 miles. I love the runner’s high. I guess I kinda missed that. Sometimes I struggle to push myself out the door and I just want to stay indoors with my weights, but I committed to this and I’m going to see it through.
Have an EM2WL transformation to share? Willing to let us tag along on your journey? We’d love to see it! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
by EM2WL | Mar 12, 2013 | Testimonials, The Journey
I have officially completed 3 months of Cathe Freidrich’s Shock Training System and my first bulk. Although I had planned to do a nice, clean bulk, several personal factors upset my normal life and unfortunately my macros during bulk and my choices were not very good. However, I wasn’t as concerned with that as I was with giving my body one serious, good refeed before attempting cut again and I wanted to take advantage of all those extra cals and build some muscle at the same time – hence STS. I also cut cardio down to almost nothing. I figured that way, when I introduced it again, it would actually work better after so many years of overdoing cardio and finding it not as effective as it used to be.
I made the decision not to weigh or take photos during these three months because I didn’t want to get scared and quit early but I knew I was gaining weight. Clothes fit a little tighter (especially in the thighs and shoulders). 
Measurements and scale definitely proved this fact as you can see by the update below, but it’s the comparison of the photos from July 2012 with today’s post bulk photos that caught my attention the most. I might be about 7lbs heavier today than in July, but I look better now than I did then!!! The change between September and today was actually not too bad. A little heavier but interestingly enough not so much in the fatty tummy area but more in the areas I worked hard in STS such as the shoulders, chest and thighs. The other thing I noticed was a significant decrease in my cardio ability along with a noticeable increase in my strength.
During my bulk I ate somewhere between 2400 – 3000 cals, but averaged around the 2600 cals. Although this seems low for a bulk for me, one of the things that changed in my life was my calorie burn level. I sat at my desk for very long periods and did not move as much as I normal have in the past. That, combined with fewer workouts and less cardio brought my daily burns down to around 2000 – 2200 cals a day.
I am now starting cut. Currently my goal is 1900 cals per day but I will be increasing it shortly once I get into my new routine of increased cardio alongside what I’m going to call ‘muscle maintenance lifting’ and figure out where my cal intake needs to be. Plus my daily normal activity will increase in a few days as well because I will no longer have to sit so long at my desk. J I look forward to upping the cals a bit since cut so far has been difficult after so much food freedom.
All said and done, I do NOT regret bulking! The photos have shown me the difference lifting makes when bulking compared with just eating more and doing cardio and I am excited to see what cut reveals.
As for measurements and weight updates, here you are:
(these are compared with Aug. 31, 2012 measurements)
Weight: 176 lbs (up 9.2 lbs)
Neck: 13 ¾” (up ¼”)
Bicep: 12 ¼ “ (up ¾”)
Forearm: 11” (up ½”)
Wrist: 6 ¼” (no change)
Overbust: 40 ¾” (up 1 ¾”)
Bust: 43 ¾” (up 1 ¼”)
Underbust: 38” (up ¾”)
Waist: 38” (up ½”)
Hips: 42 ½” (up 1”)
Thigh: 25” (up 1 ¼”)
Calf: 16” (up ½”)
Total inches = up 8 ½
Total weight= up 9.2 lbs
Have an EM2WL transformation to share? Willing to let us tag along on your journey? We’d love to see it! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
by EM2WL | Mar 6, 2013 | Fat Loss / Cutting, Workouts
This month, we’re taking a break from the body-part split, and featuring a full body Supersets plan for those with busier schedules as spring approaches.
The Plan: A 3-day workout split, featuring a total body, superset approach. The approach to the exercises will change daily for variety, but the theme remains Supersets for greater metabolic response and to encourage fat burning. This plan is for those that are cutting, maintaining, or simply looking to break out of a rut. If you are newer to training, start with only 2 sets of each exercise and take longer rests as needed.
Weights: Begin every weight session with a 5-10 minute dynamic warmup and 1-2 warmup sets (using lighter weight). Select a weight that presents a struggle for the last few reps. Remember to log your weight selection, being sure to increase weight whenever possible. If you can do 2-3 more reps than specified with your chosen weight, your weight is too light, and it is time to increase. You must push yourself for maximum results, every set should be challenging. There must be at least 48 hours in between repeating a specific day. Do not perform any days back to back, due to the nature of the exercises targeting similar muscles. End with 5-10 minutes of stretching, while the muscle is still warm to prevent injury.
Cardio: 2 days of optional cardio included in the plan. To maximize fat loss, choose the cardio options. They can be done on different days, if preferred. When performing cardio and weights on the same day, opt to do weights first (this doesn’t include the warm-up done before weights). If including more than 2 cardio days, choose to lower intensity every other session to reduce leg swelling. Be mindful, though, that the amount of cardio that you intend on doing is figured into your food allowance.
Food: For best results, eat at TDEE (maintenance) or cut. This is to provide sufficient energy for lifts, yet also maximize fat loss. The EM2WL weight loss calculator (set goal at “lose fat, -15%”) will give you an idea of your best calorie range for losing body-fat, with minimal muscle loss. Attempt to eat 1-1.2g of protein per lb of lean body mass, or 30-35% of your calorie intake, and sufficient carbs (around 40-45% of your total intake), mostly surrounding your workouts. (If diabetic, insulin sensitive, etc., eat carbs as per doctor/nutritionist orders).
**Follow plan for 4-6 weeks**
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Each set of exercises done back to back, with no rest. Rest 30-60 seconds after the second exercise in each set. Then repeat. Rest up to 2 minutes between each superset. |
Exercise:
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Reps
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Sets
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| Superset #1 |
|
|
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Squat
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12 |
3 |
Shoulder press
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12 |
3 |
| Superset #2 |
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|
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Deadlift
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12 |
3 |
Pull-up
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12 |
3 |
| Superset #3 |
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|
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Walking Lunges
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12 |
3 |
Tricep Dips
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12 |
3 |
| Superset #4 |
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|
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Standing Calf Raises
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fail |
3 |
Bicep Curls
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12 |
3 |
| Superset #5 |
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|
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Decline Pushups
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20 |
3 |
| Stability Ball Crunch |
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fail |
3 |
~Rest/Yoga/Cardio (opt.)~
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Opposing muscle group tri-sets = Move through each exercise in the group, in order. Rest 60 seconds. Then repeat until all 3 tri-sets for that group is complete. Then begin the same process for the next group. Rest 60-90 seconds between each tri-set.
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Exercise:
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Reps
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Sets
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| Tri-sets #1 |
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Dumbbell Row
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8 |
3 |
Overhead Extension
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8 |
3 |
Squat
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8 |
3 |
| Tri-sets #2 |
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|
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Incline Press
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8 |
3 |
| Incline Curl |
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8 |
3 |
| Split squat |
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8 |
3 |
| Tri-sets #3 |
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|
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| Lateral Raise |
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8 |
3 |
Tricep Kickbacks
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8 |
3 |
Calf Raise
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fail |
3 |
| Core |
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|
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| Hanging Knee Raise |
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20 |
3 |
| Hip Raise |
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20 |
3 |
~Rest/Yoga/Cardio (opt.)~
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Each set of exercises done back to back, with no rest. Rest 60 seconds after the second exercise in each set. Then repeat. Rest up to 2 minutes between each compound set. |
Exercise:
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Reps
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Sets
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| Compound superset #1 |
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| Pull-up |
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max |
3 |
Close -Grip Lat Pulldown
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10 |
3 |
| Compound superset #2 |
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Incline Flye
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10 |
3 |
| Decline Pushups |
|
max |
3 |
| Compound superset #3 |
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|
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Smith Squat
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12-15 |
3 |
Rear Lunge
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10/side |
3 |
| Compound superset #3 |
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|
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One-Arm Lateral Raise
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10 |
3 |
Bicep curls, 21s
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21 |
3 |
More of a visual person? Check out the “at-a-glance” options, by clicking on the desired day.
by EM2WL | Mar 4, 2013 | Consistency, Motivation
Guest Post from Jen
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about my progress and my ponderings. Most of you have read my story, and I’m still chugging right along on my “transformation.” So .. here goes!
Gosh. Where do I start? A few weeks ago on a Monday. My newsfeed at MyFitnessPal was filled with a plethora of scale angst and cries of “when am I going to see some progress.” I’ve had my share of both. Then I got kicked. Not physically, but it was still pretty effective. Kicked with some Tough Love. Sometimes we all need that, don’t we? My friend Denise (TheMedalist) had these words for me : “I realize pursuit of perfection is the DNA of a Type A personality. But, I think it comes at a HUGE cost. Frustration. Angst. Scale wars. And most of all, sadly, a failure to enjoy what you’ve already accomplished that deserves to be celebrated. It makes this Type B just shake her head.” That got my attention, and set me to pondering. Of course, she was right.
May 2011, I decided that I was going to start taking care of me a whole lot better than I had been. Was going to try to work less, schedule time to exercise, and grab hold of my eating which was woefully out of control. Nothing was FEEDING me. I was going non-stop, not sleeping, not taking time to eat properly, and certainly wasn’t exercising. I was exhausted all the time. I had no work-life balance. I had no time for JEN. I set out to finally Get With It – for ME. My goal? To leave work each evening with enough time to sit down to eat a meal and go to the gym; lose 40 pounds and get back into a size 12. I’ve accomplished all those things. In fact, I’ve surpassed the goals I set for myself. I joined a gym for the first time in my life, discovered heavy lifting, got my eating under control, conquered my cravings for “extraneous bread like substances,” lost 50 pounds, passed by size 12 to a size 8, quit the job that was sucking every bit of life out of me, and am working toward a career change that I’m passionate about. But! I didn’t stop to celebrate my accomplishments. Instead, in my driven Type-A style – I wanted MORE. Size 8? Yea, that’s great, but oh…size 6 is calling out to me. And my scale – it isn’t showing me the NUMBER that I think in my mind is an “acceptable small #.” So, I’ve taken Denise’s words to heart. I’m CELEBRATING my success, the completion of my goal. I have accomplished what I set out to do. I am feeling so very, very Jen-like. I am happy with my body. I am fit, strong, healthy and full of energy.
If I never lost another pound, I’m totally FAB.
We lose sight of that. We lose sight of celebrating US. The wonderful people that we are. Our accomplishments. Look around you right now. Do you see it? YOUR accomplishments? Your successes? I’m positive that they are there.
What I’ve definitely learned is that you must trust your body, trust the process. To be successful, I’m passionate that you must make slow, steady lifestyle changes. Changes that become the new norm, your new automatic habits, your new way of eating and moving. As Kiki often says: Don’t do anything to lose weight that you are not willing to do for LIFE. Your nutrition, your fitness should enhance your life, not control it. I totally believe in keeping it REAL, and enjoying the NOW. So what if you don’t weigh “x” today or wear size “x” today? Did you yesterday? What matters is how you feel today, tomorrow and years from now. Winning = getting to the FAB you one step at a time, and enjoying every step of the way.
What’s next on my agenda? I’m in the homestretch. I’m tweaking my bodyfat and leaning up a bit more. Let’s call it “vanity leaning up.” I want to see more ab definition, a sleeker back and just an all over sleeker, more defined me. How am I doing it? Not much different than I have been. I’m back to eating deficit, and am lifting heavier – training for strength 3 x week. I’m in control of my eating and am fueling my body. My average TDEE is 2250, which is a bit higher than it was in October. Same weight. I took a break from October – January and ate at TDEE and trained for strength. I’m now totally pumped and ready for 1800 deficit calories with one day every week eating at TDEE. I’m already seeing lost inches and my size 8s are getting looser. Where do I expect to end up? An EASY, comfy size 6 at 170 lbs and 21-22% bodyfat.
Trust the process. Consistency and persistence will win the day.
Jen
www.GetWithItForLife.com
HarlanJEN @ MyFitnessPal
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