So I was talking to one of my favorite people about workouts. I’m putting the entire current workout plan here in one post. I’ll come back and modify later — I’m an hour late for cardio. :]
The Plan
The workout consists of high cardio, toning, and low to mid-level weight training in order to build and retain lean muscle mass and promote weight loss. It doesn’t work for everyone, and it’s just the plan that I’ve worked out that best fits me and my goals (rapid weight loss and meet the USMC PFT requirements within a 7 month period).
This is a brief overview — it took a ton of research to come up with this, so..fricking do your own.
Cardio
Daily. Well, jogging and walking anyway. Running every other day — it helps keep you from shredding your shin muscles when you’re starting out.
Medicine Ball 200 (or the Tar Heels workout)
See the whole workout here.
Use a 6, 8, or 10 pound medicine ball ($10.77- $38.54 online price at Wal-Mart for 2 – 12lbs). I’m currently using a 6lb and an 8lb for extended holds (random flex and extended holds when I’m bored or watching TV).
You can breeze through it once you’ve done it a few times — I barely have to look at the guide anymore –, but don’t develop sloppy form. If it hurts, you’re doing it right. It now takes me 20 – 25 minutes to complete, along with an extra set if crunches. Once you get it down, it becomes fairly fluid and it feels great to not have to think about what’s coming up next.
1. Big Circles Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, hold a medicine ball with your arms extended directly above your head [A]. Without bending your elbows, rotate your arms counterclockwise [B], using the ball to draw large imaginary circles in front your body [C, D]. Do 10 circles, and then reverse direction to clockwise and do 10 more.
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2. Woodchopper Stand with your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart. With your arms nearly straight, hold a medicine ball above your head [A]. Now bend forward at your waist and mimic throwing the ball backward between your legs—but hold onto the ball the entire time [B]. Quickly reverse the movement with the same intensity, and return to the starting position. That’s 1 repetition.
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| 3. Standing Russian Twist Hold a medicine ball with both hands in front of your chest and your arms straight [A]. Without dropping your arms, pivot on your right foot and rotate the ball and your torso as far as you can to the left [B]. Then reverse direction: Pivot on your left foot and rotate all the way to the right. That’s 1 repetition. |
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4. Squat to Press Stand holding a medicine ball close to your chest with both hands, your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart [A]. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor [B].Then simultaneously drive your heels into the floor and push your body back to the starting position as you press the ball over your head [C]. Lower the ball back to the start. That’s 1 repetition.
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5. Medicine-Ball Situp Grab a medicine ball with both hands and lie on your back on the floor. Bend your knees 90 degrees, place your feet flat on the floor, and hold the medicine ball against your chest [A]. Now perform a classic situp by raising your torso into a sitting position [B]. Lower it back to the start. That’s 1 repetition.
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6. Rocky Solo Sit on the floor with your legs straight, and hold a medicine ball with both hands just above your lap [A]. Twist your torso to the right and place the ball behind you [B]. Then twist all the way to your left and pick the ball up and bring it back to the starting position [C].That’s 1 repetition. Do 10 repetitions. Immediately do another 10 repetitions, but this time start by twisting with the ball to your left.
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7. Toe Touch Grab a medicine ball, lie on your back, and raise your legs so they’re straight and perpendicular to the floor. Hold the ball above the top of your head with your arms straight [A]. Without moving your legs or bending your elbows, simultaneously lift your arms and torso until the ball touches your toes [B]. Lower yourself back to the starting position. That’s 1 repetition.
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8. 45-Degree Twist Grab a medicine ball and sit on the floor. Lean back at a 45-degree angle, raise your legs and feet off the floor, and hold the ball with both hands in front of your chest, your arms straight [A]. Without dropping your legs or arms, rotate the ball and your torso as far as you can to the right [B]. Then reverse direction, rotating all the way to the left. That’s 1 repetition.
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9. Suitcase Crunch Lie on your back with your legs straight. Use both hands to hold a medicine ball above your head and barely off the floor[A]. Simultaneously raise your torso and bend your right knee toward your chest as you bring the ball over your knee and toward your foot. Reverse the movement and repeat, this time bending your left knee [B].That’s 1 repetition.
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10. Diagonal Crunch Grab a medicine ball and lie on the floor with your legs straight and spread wide. Roll onto your right hip and hold the ball with your arms straight at 10 o’clock above the top of your head [A]. To perform the movement, raise your arms and torso and then touch the ball to the floor between your legs [B]. Lower your body, but instead of rolling back onto your right hip, roll onto your left and hold the ball at 2 o’clock above your head [C] before you repeat the movement. That’s 1 repetition. Repeat, alternating back and forth in this manner.
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The Body Ball Workout
Find the ball that best fits your height. I’m short, so I use a 55cm Gold’s Gym body ball. This exact one, in fact. The guide that comes with it targets warm-up, push-ups, arms, abdominals (trunk curls, abs/obliques, obliques alone), butt (pelvic tilt, leg raises, hip extensions), legs, thighs & calves (leg curl, inner thighs, outer thighs, heel raises).
I don’t do this workout regularly, so I’m not posting each step. Go buy the ball and read the workout if you want to try it. =]
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Combine running, jogging, walking, medicine ball, and body ball workouts with 2 minute set of crunches, 2 minute set of push ups, and if you’re lucky enough to have a place to do it — flexed arm hangs.
Monday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — Run/Jog/Walk. Sart out running .5 miles and walking 4.5, then 1 mile and walk 4, then 1.5 and walk 3.5 — so on and so forth, until you’re running 3 miles straight.
Tuesday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — 5 mile walk
Wednesday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — Run/Jog/Walk. Sart out running .5 miles and walking 4.5, then 1 mile and walk 4, then 1.5 and walk 3.5 — so on and so forth, until you’re running 3 miles straight.
Thursday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — 5 mile walk
Friday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — Run/Jog/Walk. Sart out running .5 miles and walking 4.5, then 1 mile and walk 4, then 1.5 and walk 3.5 — so on and so forth, until you’re running 3 miles straight.
Saturday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — 5 mile walk
Sunday
0500 — Medicine ball 200
After work — Toning bands, dumb bells. Whenever, really.
2100 — 5 mile walk
The Diet
1. Discover the Rice Diet Solution
The Rice Diet is a weight-loss plan used at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, a residential weight-loss program. You can also do the Duke Diet on your own using a book titled The Rice Diet Solution or going to the Rice Diet Store website. In addition to eliminating obesity, the diet also prevents or treats conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.
2. It Began With a Simple Error
The Rice Diet or Duke University Diet has been around for a long time. Walter Kempner, a researcher who was born in Germany and came to work at Duke University Department of Medicine in the 1930s, created it. When World War II started, the country needed his services as a doctor rather than as a researcher. He told one patient, a woman with very high blood pressure and kidney disease, to eat only rice and fruit for 2 weeks and return for a checkup. The woman misunderstood and ate only rice and fruit for 2 months. When she came back, her vital signs had improved dramatically, so Dr. Kempner started recommending the diet for obese patients who had hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.
3. More Than Just Rice
Even though it’s called the Rice Diet, this diet actually includes grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, olive oil and small portions of non-fat dairy, seafood and lean meat. There are two phases to the diet, and during phase one, you eat only whole grains and fruits. You will be getting very little salt in your diet during phase one. According to the doctors who recommend this diet, salt, like sugar, is a trigger that causes people to overeat. They claim that after 48 hours of eating a diet with no added salt, people are not able to eat the amount of food that they were able to eat before. They also stop having cravings and being obsessed with food. People at the weight loss clinic stay on phase one for several weeks, but it is recommended that you only limit your diet to whole grains and fruits 1 day a week if you are doing the diet at home.
4. Add Some Other Foods
During phase two, you can add vegetables, beans and other carbohydrates to your diet. You can also eat fish once a week. You will be getting more sodium in your diet during phase two because of the vegetables you are eating.
5. See Your Doctor First
The people at Duke University suggest that you remain on a vegetarian diet until you have reached your goal weight. Then you can add in lean meat and low-fat dairy products to maintain your weight. Because the diet is so low in sodium, they also recommend that you see a physician before beginning the program.
Read more at LiveStrong.com
I’m going with the rice, fruit, and salmon take on it.
To be honest, this reduced my market bill by $200/month. It’s worth it.
The Nutrition – Hammer Nutrition
I’m not doing long distance endurance sports, so my main concern is recovery. Click each link for details information and usage.
- Minimize post-exercise muscle soreness
- Rebuild muscle tissue
- Restore muscle glycogen
- Made with natural ingredients
- Gluten-Free
- Contains no MSG
- Kosher Dairy Certified
Xobaline
- Increase oxygen utilization.
- Reduce fatigue.
- Enhance muscle repair & regeneration.
- Support cardiovascular health.
- Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly.
- Increased absorption of the important energy-producing substrates CoQ10 and idebenone.
- Prolonged endurance from increased fat utilization and enhanced oxygen utilization
- Cardiovascular system protection from reduced blood pressure and lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Support for body fat regulation.
- Aid in improving brain function and mood.
- Anti-inflammatory properties to reduce post-workout soreness.
- Gluten-Free.
BENEFITS
The most current research indicates that higher amounts of chromium (up to 1000 mcg daily) may provide the best benefits so taking additional Chromemate capsules at key times during your day, augmenting the 200 mcg contained in a packet of Premium Insurance Caps, is a wise strategy.
- Enhance glycogen synthesis for superior recovery.
- May improve cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels.
- Helps curb sugar cravings.
- Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly.
It's never been better 
3 responses to “‘The Plan’”
Second link!
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Not yet. I found two —
This Is Why You’re Fat
and
This Is Why You’re Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever): Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More–and Keep the Weight Off
Did you read both? I’m thinking of getting both…particularly the second. Title appeal and whatnot. Ha.
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Seems like a great workout! I’ll have to try it!
Have you looked into Jackie Warner’s book “This is Why You’re Fat”. It’s a great read with good recipes, workouts, and general health info. I love her writing and I think she’s a pretty badass woman.
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