Re: New Rules of Lifting--Fat LOSS

[Guest guest]

Body for Life is a bodybuilding routine. Bodybuilding routines are

different than the " regular guy " fitness workouts in " New Rules of

Lifting. " If your goal is achieving a really dramatic transformation

in minimum time (like 12 weeks), the split routines and isolation

exercises are the best way to get it. If you're interested in general

fitness and not in any particular hurry, you could get away with doing

just about anything.

Training splits will always be useful for certain goals. You can find

a split for any occasion and circumstance, including total body

push/pull splits, so they'll never be dated or out of favor. And I'm

guessing there's not a single bodybuilder or fitness competitor who

doesn't train their biceps. I'm not about to stop training mine, even

though I think Alwyn Cosgrove is quite possibly a genius.

Somebody using BFL for mass gain is told to eat double carb portions

at the first three meals. This gives them a calorie surplus and fuel

to build muscle. Somebody following BFL for fat loss will be eating at

a calorie deficit. As long as you're eating at a deficit, you won't be

building any significant muscle mass, UNLESS you're a total beginner.

People who have never lifted weights have a short " honeymoon " period

where they can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. That usually

only lasts a few weeks and then you have to choose one goal or the

other.

If you have thousands of calories of fuel behind it, the six-set

pyramid routines allow for quite a bit of muscle growth. If you're

eating small squeaky clean portions and keeping a deficit, those six

sets per muscle group blast an insane amount of calories and result in

a major afterburn that keeps the fat loss happening long after the

workout is over. That's how a skinny guy like Ellis can gain

31 pounds of lean mass in 12 weeks, and how an overweight woman like

Cheryl Muhr can follow the same program, lose 30 pounds of fat, and

gain only 2 pounds of muscle.

Body for Life definitely works for people of all shapes and sizes. If

you have any doubts, take another look at our own photo section or the

champion profiles on the web site:

http://www.bodyforlife.com/challenge/champions.asp

It's really tempting to jump from one program to another. They all

sound good - Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, Leanness Lifestyle, Body

Rx, New Rules of Lifting, BodyLogix (anybody remember that craze?).

Every time something new comes along people start jumping up and down

and proclaiming that it's " the next level " or " a revolutionary new

concept " or whatever. :-)

Listen, any program will work if you throw your heart and soul into

it. The only way you can go wrong is by combining three conflicting

plans or never sticking to anything long enough to see it through.

You're free to quit your challenge and try something else, but a few

weeks into " New Rules of Lifting " , you're going to see something else

that looks even more promising, or some study that contradicts

everything they tell you, or an article with an " amazing fitness

breakthrough " that will change your workouts forever. Make sure you

don't succumb to information paralysis.

> Schuler and Cosgrove say that for maximum fat loss

> I should do a TOTAL body work out, when I hit the weight room.

> This makes sense to me, why should I isolate my biceps?

> It sheds a lot of light on steering away from machines

> and I like the idea of strength training that is geared towards

> natural body movement.

>

> Could it be that splitting Upper and Lower workouts

> is dated information- BFL was written a decade ago right?

> My other concern is that while some people need fat loss,

> others need to gain,

> so how can this one BFL routine suit both kinds of people?

> If my efforts are towards maximum fat loss,

> are there any reasons why I SHOULDNT change the BFL routine?

>

> Sorry! I KNOW this is a BFL chatroom.

> --

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I don't know your history here because I am back from a long time away

BUT I can tell you what I think and about me. I lost 50 pounds on BFL

and followed exactly including the workouts as is.

I wouldn't consider it dated personally. I think it was a great way

for me to learn how to work out and weight train. I am back with the

same 50 pounds because I didn't make this a lifestyle change and going

to follow as is again for 2 cycles. Then I actually plan on buying

this book you are referring too. I am not a fan of doing just bicep

curls , it's the least favorite muscle I like to work BUT being out of

shape right now pull ups and other exercises are not going to cut it

for me. I am sticking to machines for at least the first 6 weeks. Then

move to dips, pull ups etc... or exercises that work multiple

muscles. So I don't think BFL is dated at all. It's a great program to

start, continue or for maintenance.

>

> Schuler and Cosgrove say that for maximum fat loss

> I should do a TOTAL body work out, when I hit the weight room.

> This makes sense to me, why should I isolate my biceps?

> It sheds a lot of light on steering away from machines

> and I like the idea of strength training that is geared towards

> natural body movement.

>

> Could it be that splitting Upper and Lower workouts

> is dated information- BFL was written a decade ago right?

> My other concern is that while some people need fat loss,

> others need to gain,

> so how can this one BFL routine suit both kinds of people?

> If my efforts are towards maximum fat loss,

> are there any reasons why I SHOULDNT change the BFL routine?

>

> Sorry! I KNOW this is a BFL chatroom.

> --

>

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for clearing that up.

I think I got freaked when I realized I only have 5 more weeks...

I literally wake up seeing images of the body I COULD have.

Afraid of failure, I have slipped into " Program Can't work " Syndrome

I gotta trust this more. I readily admit, I cant make an informed

opinion on the topic of fitness...I just gotta " DO IT " , for now.

But MY BRAIN really did need to hear the difference between both

books. Now that I know their incentives, I can lose the doubt that

was barking in my head, even as I dutifully worked the upperbody

Pyramid routine 5 hours ago. In hindsight, I really shoulda pushed

the Incline Bicep curls--damn!

Yes, I am caught red-handed: " Make sure you don't succumb to

information paralysis. "

Golly Jeez you're a good coach! I hope others who are reading this

are sticking to their original plan too. Just curious, why you'd

think Cosgrove is a genius?

Thanks Again

:0)

> > Schuler and Cosgrove say that for maximum fat loss

> > I should do a TOTAL body work out, when I hit the weight room.

> > This makes sense to me, why should I isolate my biceps?

> > It sheds a lot of light on steering away from machines

> > and I like the idea of strength training that is geared towards

> > natural body movement.

> >

> > Could it be that splitting Upper and Lower workouts

> > is dated information- BFL was written a decade ago right?

> > My other concern is that while some people need fat loss,

> > others need to gain,

> > so how can this one BFL routine suit both kinds of people?

> > If my efforts are towards maximum fat loss,

> > are there any reasons why I SHOULDNT change the BFL routine?

> >

> > Sorry! I KNOW this is a BFL chatroom.

> > --

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Helen,

Hi!

Its good you're back doing what you KNOW will work for you. I found

a way to lose weight a while back, and then I gained it back plus

more, because my head negotiated that I would have a fall-back plan.

There was no crisis, or anything dramatic in my life to justify the

weight gain other than the voice in my head.

If anything, I'm happy that there's a place for me to talk freely

about this subject of health, fitness, fat loss and mental stability

through it all.

Cheers!

--

> >

> > Schuler and Cosgrove say that for maximum fat loss

> > I should do a TOTAL body work out, when I hit the weight room.

> > This makes sense to me, why should I isolate my biceps?

> > It sheds a lot of light on steering away from machines

> > and I like the idea of strength training that is geared towards

> > natural body movement.

> >

> > Could it be that splitting Upper and Lower workouts

> > is dated information- BFL was written a decade ago right?

> > My other concern is that while some people need fat loss,

> > others need to gain,

> > so how can this one BFL routine suit both kinds of people?

> > If my efforts are towards maximum fat loss,

> > are there any reasons why I SHOULDNT change the BFL routine?

> >

> > Sorry! I KNOW this is a BFL chatroom.

> > --

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Why do you only have 5 more weeks?

Have you entered the official BFL challenge for 2006?

Are you planning to stop this way of eating, exercising, and thinking in 5

weeks? And go back to what you were doing before?

n

At 05:48 PM 6/7/2006, you wrote:

>,

>

>Thanks for clearing that up.

>I think I got freaked when I realized I only have 5 more weeks...

>I literally wake up seeing images of the body I COULD have.

>Afraid of failure, I have slipped into " Program Can't work " Syndrome

>I gotta trust this more. I readily admit, I cant make an informed

>opinion on the topic of fitness...I just gotta " DO IT " , for now.

[Guest guest]

To add a couple more points to this....

I did 2 cycles following BFL, and had great results each time (lost about

11-13# each time).

The 3rd cycle I changed things around a bit, because of arm trouble and

influence from folks at the gym that I was doing the wrong thing; and had

minimal changes at the end of the 12 weeks.

Now I've switched gyms, and have started Cosgrove's workout. And as soon

as I started it, I started second-guessing myself. Gee, maybe I should

have started with Cosgrove's program which only uses bodyweights. Gee,

maybe I should have stayed with the pyramiding and upper vs lower body

workouts.

And I caught myself and stopped. I have a plan of action for the next 12

weeks. I will follow thru with it. During that time, I will evaluate and

see what I want to do next.

I am enjoying the process of learning. Having this new workout routine is

just another way to keep it all interesting for me. I'm looking for ways

to incorporate weights into my life. I'm ok with not having a transformation.

And, instead of researching alternative exercise plans, I will focus on my

improving my mind - so that I will continue to like myself at each level of

change.

n

At 10:00 PM 6/7/2006, you wrote:

>It's really tempting to jump from one program to another. They all

>sound good - Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, Leanness Lifestyle, Body

>Rx, New Rules of Lifting, BodyLogix (anybody remember that craze?).

>Every time something new comes along people start jumping up and down

>and proclaiming that it's " the next level " or " a revolutionary new

>concept " or whatever. :-)

>

>Listen, any program will work if you throw your heart and soul into

>it. The only way you can go wrong is by combining three conflicting

>plans or never sticking to anything long enough to see it through.

>You're free to quit your challenge and try something else, but a few

>weeks into " New Rules of Lifting " , you're going to see something else

>that looks even more promising, or some study that contradicts

>everything they tell you, or an article with an " amazing fitness

>breakthrough " that will change your workouts forever. Make sure you

>don't succumb to information paralysis.

>

>

[Guest guest]

It's his approach to functional training and martial arts conditioning

that impressed me. I also appreciate the fact that he's hilarious and

opinionated, and apparently has no brake between his brain and his

mouth. :-)

>

> Just curious, why you'd

> think Cosgrove is a genius?

[Guest guest]

, I've not read the New Rules of Lifting, but I do think

anything will work but not all the time. Our bodies are smart and

they adapt over time. So something that worked before will stop

working. That's why it is important to increase weights, change

exercises, etc so the BFL upper and lower body split keeps working.

I've tried many different splits over the years: upper vs lower, 4

day, 5day, push-pull, full body circuit. I've also tried heavy

weights, light weights, pyramids. And added in other techniques like

drop sets, negatives. Everything works, but eventually I adapt.

The key is to keep changing things up. This prevents adaptation and

boredom. I got tired of doing complicated split routines and went

back to the upper vs. lower routine which was refreshing for my

brain. Now I do a full body circuit once a week too. For a time I

did heavier weights, then I switched to lighter weights (high reps)

and the muscle soreness killed me. Lately I've been doing more

bodyweight exercises and focusing on going slowly during the eccentric

move. If you don't have muscle soreness, then change something!!

I guess my point is, you could do one of the Cosgrove routines....for

a while. Then go back to BFL, it will be a kick in the pants!

Same goes for cardio. I used to run all the time for HIIT. I've

nearly eliminated running because it became too easy (plus I developed

overuse injuries). The stairmaster and skipping rope challenge me

now. Eventually this too will pass, and I'll probably throw running

back in.

>>>>>>.> Schuler and Cosgrove say that for maximum fat loss

> I should do a TOTAL body work out, when I hit the weight room.

> This makes sense to me, why should I isolate my biceps?

> It sheds a lot of light on steering away from machines

> and I like the idea of strength training that is geared towards

> natural body movement.

>

> Could it be that splitting Upper and Lower workouts

> is dated information- BFL was written a decade ago right?

[Guest guest]

Hey, we like debating! No problem at all, you are allowed to question BFL.

Anyway, I think that you should give it a chance and do it like the book says.

You may get your 2lbs of fatloss each and every week that way and that is

fantastic.

Here's the problem with full body circuits (I'm doing one now) - your WHOLE

freaking body hurts for DAYS afterward. Not only can you not blow dry your hair

but walking makes you cry out in pain (I should be saying me). I'm only doing

this for this month, then I'll probably go back to Bill's way.

What I have done with Bill's routine is that I super set it. I gain muscle

like a crazy woman so I didn't worry that my lean muscle gain would be lessened.

I would just do squats, then no rest, deadlifts, no rest squats. It kicked my

butt. The arm one supersetted really got my heart racing too.

But, really, give the regular workout and eating a chance. In Challenge 2 you

can mix it up if you need to. You have to see what your body will do first,

then adjust from there.

Good luck! Jami

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

LOL! This is so true!

Monday I did my first 'full body' - and when it was time for weights on

Wednesday, my legs said, " you're joking right? It's my day off! "

When I actually did the Wednesday workout, my legs were fine as it turned

out. The workout was sufficiently different.

n

At 08:49 PM 6/8/2006, you wrote:

>Here's the problem with full body circuits (I'm doing one now) - your

>WHOLE freaking body hurts for DAYS afterward. Not only can you not blow

>dry your hair but walking makes you cry out in pain (I should be saying

>me). I'm only doing this for this month, then I'll probably go back to

>Bill's way.

[Guest guest]

I have to admit I started because I googled ephedra, and up came

Skwigg's site! HAHAHAHA!

Then I was taken by her pitch for BFL, and within weeks of eating

clean, feeling joyful (yes, it was a new feeling in 2006) I took a

leap. ALL I wanted was a maintenace plan initially, but then I saw

the carrot! that I could actually experience a transformation..and I

just bit the bullet and signed up for the challenge.

HUH? they called to wish me luck yesterday. Its a SIGN- lol

In the last few days, my arms are unrecognizeable (the first time in

my life that I dont feel I need to hide them)...and I believe I can

totally do this. Today's weight was dropped 4.5 pds...whew

I have never lifted a weight and never balanced out my nutrition

before this. Of course, after these next 5 weeks of chasing the

carrot, I could never go back to ignorance. I'm fueled with a

better way to live!

Thanks n...

--

>

> >,

> >

> >Thanks for clearing that up.

> >I think I got freaked when I realized I only have 5 more weeks...

> >I literally wake up seeing images of the body I COULD have.

> >Afraid of failure, I have slipped into " Program Can't work "

Syndrome

> >I gotta trust this more. I readily admit, I cant make an informed

> >opinion on the topic of fitness...I just gotta " DO IT " , for now.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Don'tcha love it when you exceed your expectations?

Thats gotta feel better than junkfood...

--

> >Here's the problem with full body circuits (I'm doing one now) -

your

> >WHOLE freaking body hurts for DAYS afterward. Not only can you

not blow

> >dry your hair but walking makes you cry out in pain (I should be

saying

> >me). I'm only doing this for this month, then I'll probably go

back to

> >Bill's way.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ahhhhhh - I see, you have 5 weeks left for your official challenge.

If you need/want inspiration, be sure to read the document in the files,

titled: BFL Lady Success.doc

n (comfortably wearing sleeveless this summer)

At 03:57 PM 6/8/2006, you wrote:

><SNIP> I

>just bit the bullet and signed up for the challenge.

>HUH? they called to wish me luck yesterday. Its a SIGN- lol

[Guest guest]

I had 's voice screaming at me during my 1st Circuit Session

today! (I imagined from " Thelma and Louise " -

Idontknowwhy) and I'm happy to report, that I really experienced

something exhilerating. I have a new " paper-towel " theory, which is

to sweat through about 12 of them in one session. I felt like a

super-hero running around from weight to jumprope to

treadmill...really fit!

and then I read this: " weight training with no gym equipment "

posted in the Files of this board...and like that! I'm just a pup

again.

hurrumph..

> ><SNIP> I

> >just bit the bullet and signed up for the challenge.

> >HUH? they called to wish me luck yesterday. Its a SIGN- lol

>

>

>

>

>

>