Week One - Day Four - Triceps

We're Over The Hill!

Well, not Over the Hill, more like almost done with our first week in the program. If you're new to working out, or back from an extended break from the Gym, you should be in full DOMS mode and barely able to get out of bed in the morning. See Day Three for a lesson on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS.

Today's workout showcases the biggest muscle in the upper arms: the Triceps. A "Pushing" muscle that is activated when you push anything away from your body. When worked out properly, they will grow like crazy! Let's get busy.

3 Degree Incline Dumbell Bench Press. Let's get a little chest warm-up while we work the Tri's. We've got three angles on this exercise: Steep, 45 Degrees, and Flat. Four Sets. Eight Reps. Example: Steep, Eight Reps, rest 30 seconds. Lower the bench to 45 Degrees, eight more Reps, rest 30 seconds. Lower the bench to Flat, last eight Reps. That's Set  Number One. Too much weight? Not enough weight? Make your changes now. Rest 30 seconds. Raise the bench back to the steep incline and continue with three more Sets.

Close-Grip Bench Press. As the name implies, we're using a close grip. When extended, your thumbs should be close enough to touch. Any wider and this becomes a Chest exercise. Explode up, come down slow. Four Sets. 10 Reps.

Standing Cable Press-Downs. Pure Tri's. Feet are shoulder-width apart for balance.  In the gym, you'll see many people doing this exercise drastically wrong with their upper bodies rocking front & back. Not us! And I don't recommend being hunched over like the illustration below. Instead, stand tall with a straight back.  From your fingers to your elbow you are locked. Move nothing else. Slow & Steady. Four Sets. Ten Reps.

Bar Dips or Tricep Dip Machine. Are you ready for the FIRE?? Because this is it. You are about to burn your triceps to the point of failure. And you're going to love it. If the picture below looks too difficult, fear not. Your Gym may have a Tricep Dip machine where you sit and adjust the resistance. Three sets until muscle failure. Rest 90 seconds between Sets.

Cardio. One hour on the Bike, or Treadmill.

That's it! Have a great workout and FEEL THE BURN!!! Thanks for reading. Leave your Questions/Comments below.

See you next time,

-Charles

Week One - Day Three - Back & Biceps

My Body is Dying!!!

After four months on a mostly vegan diet and 40min/Day walking plan, my weightloss had hit a plateau. Sure, I've lost 33lbs from 283lbs to 250lbs, and 6 inches around my waist from 49" to 43", but I've hit a plateau. So I'm back in the Gym and modifying my Diet. Today is Day Three. Two days back into working out again and my body is aching like I fell down a mountain! Which makes this a perfect time to talk about DOMS.

When you work out you get sore. Duh. But that's a good thing. It means you're putting in a good effort. We don't work out to waste our time, right? So sore is good! Pain and injury are something else. When you really hurt yourself in the Gym, you know it right then and there. It's a pain that won't simply fade away. Many beginners will work out a few times, feel great, then a few days later they wake up sore and cry, "Oh, I hurt myself!" I'm never working out again!" When in reality they're just experiencing DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. At this point, the worst thing they could do is quit exercising entirely. Here's a full description from WebMD so you can better understand DOMS.

Today is Back & Biceps Day. You can easily hurt yourself here as well. So go slow and always use perfect form. Here's my workout:

Treadmill or Bike: 10-20 minutes. Easy warm-up pace. Then stretch.

Weighted Pull-Ups. But because I'm fat and can't do ANY pull-ups (let alone weighted pull-ups), I'm doing Lat Pull-Downs. They're easier, less, dangerous, and you get to sit down! Four Sets. 12 Reps. Rest 60 seconds between sets. The 10th, 11th, and 12th reps should be tough and bring the Burn. If you're not feeling the Burn, increase the weight. Good for your Back.

 

What the heck is The Burn!? The Burn is when you workout hard enough to force blood through your muscles and body at a higher and stronger rate. Thereby flushing Lactic Acid out of your muscles, into your Bloodstream, and finally out through your urine. I call it Cleaning House. It's also when you make microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. When you sleep (7-9 hours per night), these tears repair themselves as an instinctive "survival method." This causes them to get bigger, stronger, and continue pushing out all the junk from your muscles and system even when you're not working out! That's called The Afterburner Effect. And it's awesome. One hour of working out gives you 24 hours of Fat Burning! If you are trying to lose weight or build muscle, and do not feel the burn, you are pretty much just wasting your. Changes are made in the Burn. So always workout with intensity!

Dumbell Single Arm Row. That's a mouthful! Four Sets. 12 Reps. 60 second break between sets. Don't forget to stretch before and after each set. Good for your Back.

Bodyweight Rows or Australian Pull-ups. Four Sets. Ten Reps. Feel the Burn on the 8th, 9th, and 10th rep. Rest 60 seconds between sets. Good for your Back.

That's it for Back. If you don't feel this tomorrow, increase your weight.

Curls. Everyone's favorite workout is always Curls. Even people that have never worked out know what this is. But for variety's sake, I threw in a few workouts that are lesser known to amateurs-but are staples in the Bodybuilding world. Go slow & easy on these or you are guaranteed to injure yourself.

Incline Dumbell Curl. Awesome for building you Bi's and makes your arms look good in a t-shirt. Four Sets. Ten Reps. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Bicep Circuit. We're almost done! The last workout is a Superset. That's where you combine two or more exercises into one flowing workout. It keeps your heart rate up, keeps your muscles flexed and forcing blood to flow, and you burn calories and fat like crazy! The last workout should bring you to near exhaustion. You'll do the first set of all three of these exercises back-to-back without stopping. Four Sets. 8 Rep for each exercise. Once you've completed the first set, take a 60 second break and shake-shake-shake your arms to get the blood (and strength) back in them. Here we go:

Sitting One Arm Concentration Curls. Sit on a bench, hold one Dumbell between your legs with your elbow against your inner thigh just above your knee. Lift slowly, and lower slowly to starting point. Looks cool, huh!

Standing Cross Body Curl. Don't let the picture fool you. You won't have a blank face through these!

And finally, Standing Pronated Barbell Curls. Which is just a fancy way of saying palms face down. Works your forearms and destroys calories.

That's it! Great workout! Enjoy your DOMS!

Cardio. Low intensity Bike or Treadmill for 60 minutes.

Thanks for reading and have a great workout! Leave your questions & comments below.

-Charles

Week One - Day Two - Back & Legs

Back & Legs. Not an exciting workout-but an important one. So many people skip especially Leg workouts and suffer for it later. An important thing to remember is: When your legs are strong-you can go anywhere!

Back Squats. Nothing builds strength and power quite like Squats. Your quads will hurt for days afterward, but you'll get very strong-very fast. All the way down-all the way up. Four Sets. Five Reps. 60 Break between reps.

Front Leg Press. Here's where you get to feel strong! The muscles in the front part of you upper legs are called your quadriceps or "Quads" and are the strongest muscles in your body. With proper training, you could easily lift double your own body weight, and more!  Four Sets. Ten Reps. 60 second break between sets.

Single Leg Press. After a three minute break, lower the amount of weight by 50% and do the same exercise. Only this time using only one leg. Put the other leg on the floor. Four Sets. Ten Reps. 60 second break between sets.

Calf Raises. Slow & steady. Four Set. 12 Reps. 60 rest between sets.

Hanging Leg Raises. If you have the arm strength to hang there for 12 reps on this exercise, you're pretty strong. Four Sets. 12 Reps. Otherwise stand in place and do 24 knee-lifts for each leg. 

Cardio: 30 minute Walk, Bike, or Swim.

That's it for Day-Two. Have a great workout and thanks for reading. Leave your Questions/Comments below. 


-Charles

What I Eat for Weightloss & Muscle Gain

I eat four meals per day. I live by a 12-12 Rule. Meaning I eat all my daily calories within a 12 hour block, then fast for the remaining 12 hours. At 2500 calories per day, that's  625 calories per meal. 50% Protein, 30% healthy HDL Fats, and 20% Carbohydrates. It works for me and my Doctor is happy. 



Wake Up - 5:30am: 16oz of Black Coffee.  

Meal One - 6:00am: Smoothie. See My Infamous Smoothie blog.

Workout - 7:15am: Ten minute warm-up and cool-down on tread mill.

Meal Two - 9:30am: Salad. Change up the Greens everyday. No less than three different colored veggies. No cheese. No croutons. No fatty dressings. No fruit. Just veggies with a light Vinegar & Olive Oil.

Meal Three - 1:00pm: Smoothie #2. See My Infamous Smoothie. If you can't handle another smoothie and absolutely have to eat meat. Make it Chicken. Of all the meats, it burns fat the the fastest.

Cardio - 4:45pm: One hour of brisk walking on Treadmill.

Final Meal - 6:00pm: Salmon and assorted steamed Veggies. Two-Three fillets. It's easy to make on your stove, takes less than nine minutes to make, and OH MY GOD it might be the healthiest food on the planet! Unless you are allergic, studies have shown that you can eat Salmon every night for Dinner and improve the quality of your health. There are no carbs, a good amount of healthy HDL's (healthy fats), and a TON of Protein. Gordon Ramsay has a new channel on YouTube and shows you exactly how to make a phenomenal easy-to-make Salmon. I pair it with a Veggie Steamer that you can pop in the microwave.

Space all four meals out. Dinner should be three hours before bedtime. I eat my Dinner at 6:30pm and in bed by 9:30pm or 10pm feeling slightly hungry. Do not eat again until Breakfast. This is the time when you relax, recuperate, and recover. You process your day's food, build muscle, and burn off fat in your rest-time. So respect it!

Wake up tomorrow feeling hungry, weigh & measure yourself, write it in your calender, and focus on different muscles while today's muscles get a much needed rest.

Live Good and leave your comments/questions below.

-Charles

Week One - Day One - Chest & Shoulders

Day One. Time to hit the Gym and reach some goals. Each day, I'll take you through my workout. Each week I'll let you know my weightloss and waist measurement. If you do the same in the comments below, all the better! Check with your Doctor before beginning and Diet or Exercise program. My workouts change every month, so keep up. If you keep to a strict Diet and Workout schedule, you'll hit your goals a lot quicker. If you don't understand any of these movements, check YouTube for video demonstrations. It's Day One. We're motivated, we're ready, Here we go:

Shoulders & Chest

Chest. Progressive Bench Press. Four sets. Five reps for each set. First, find your One Rep Max lift. For example, let's say your One Rep Max is 100lbs. The sets would look like this.

Set One: 60% = 60lbs

Set Two: 65% = 65lbs

Set Three: 75% = 75Lbs

Set Four: 75% = 75lbs

Next Monday these percentages will go up. So don't try to be a hero this week.

Shoulders

Dumbell Shoulder Press. Four sets. 10 Reps. 60 second rest between sets. Down slowly - explode up. It's okay to grunt on this one. By your third set, you should be beginning to struggle to get the weight up. If not, you are not lifting enough. . If you are struggling in your first or second set, you need to lower the weight. My Girlfriend April started with 2.5lb Dumbells. And what's the most important word in that sentence? Started.



Behind the Neck Press. Four Sets. 10 Reps. 60 second rest between sets. By the third set, you should be beginning to struggle to get the weight up. If not, you are not lifting enough. If you are struggling on your first or second set, lower the weight.





Cuban Press. Three sets. Ten Reps. 60 second break between sets. Form is Everything. By your second set, you should be feeling the burn. If not, you are not lifting enough. If you are struggling on your first set, you need to lower the weight.

(dumb Google photo, but you get the idea)

Triceps Dips. Three sets. Ten Reps. 60 second break between sets. Slow & steady. By your second set, you should be feeling the burn. If not, you are not lifting enough. If you are struggling on your first set, you need to lower the weight. Shown are Bar Dips. You may want to start on a Nautilus Seated Bar Dip Machine.



Triceps Cable Push-Downs. This is a fun one. Makes your arms look good in a t-shirt! Three sets. Ten Reps. Watch your form. By your second set, you should be feeling the burn. If not, you are not lifting enough. If you are struggling on your first set, you need to lower the weight.

Alternating Front, Rear, and Lateral Fly's. Last Movement! Three sets of each movement. And only Eight Reps. Don't rush. Slow, flowing movements.

Cardio. Treadmill, Walk, or Bike. 60 minutes at low intensity. What's low intensity? Imagine being in a store and needing to use the restroom. Not running, not strolling. But moving with intention.

That's it for today. Have a great workout! Leave your Comments/Questions below.


-Charles

My Infamous Smoothie (with Introduction)

Disclaimer:

Let me start by mentioning that everything I say is my own opinion. I am sometimes wrong-and sometimes right. This plan is my plan. It works for me. If it works for you, awesome. If not, either modify it or ignore it. Oh, and I guess I'm supposed to say,  DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt any diet or exercise program before consulting with your Physician. Happy? Great. Moving on.

History/Bio. Back in August of 2013, I was living the good life! A life of never cooking my own food, never worrying about nutrition, and getting all of my meals either "from a menu" or "through a window." My Family Practitioner said he didn't like my Blood work and that I should cut out meat, cheese, milk, and eggs. But that's like, all the food in the world! What am I supposed to eat? "Fruit, Vegetables (Bleh!! I can't stand veggies!), Nuts, Seeds, Legumes, and plenty of water" (what's a Legume?). I told him I wouldn't do it. He said "Fine! You're well on your way to Cancer, Diabetes, a stroke, and a fantastic Heart Attack." So after a good cry and seeing my life pass before my eyes, I went out and bought a NutriBullet. I figured if I have to do this diet thing, it'll be much easier to simply guzzle it quickly than have to sit and chew for a half hour. And I'm no Gordon Ramsay, so cooking's out! A week later I came up with a plan and became a Vegetarian. Me, a Vegetarian. I thought it would be the worst experience of my life. And it was for a while. But when you make anything into a smoothie, it tastes better and becomes totally doable. The hardest part wasn't even the veggies-it was giving up on going out to eat so much.

On with the show!

Because a good Diet is 80% of creating & maintaining a stronger, leaner, and healthier body, I'll first share with you how I've been eating. We'll get to the workout in another post.

Diet. Throughout my research, I have come to believe in a 12-12 Eating Plan. That means, you eat all of our daily calories within a 12 hour period. The other 12 hours is for water, sleeping, and digestion. for example, if your first meal of the day is at 6:00am, then your last meal of the day will be at 6:00pm. And I hear it all the time, "But I'll be starving from 6:00pm until 6:00am the next day!" You won't. Not if you are eating right. When you quit thinking of food as food, and start thinking of it as fuel, your cravings will begin to change. And so will your mind, spirit, and body! Start this plan slowly and work your way into it. 

Coffee. Every morning begins the Coffee. Strong, caffeine-rich coffee. In the fitness world, coffee is known as a Thermogenic. Thermogenics heat you up and rev up your metabolism so you burn calories at a faster rate. And that's a good thing! I add one Sweet & Low per cup and usually have two-three cups as soon as I wake up. I follow that up with two bottles of water. Don't like water? Tough! It's the #1 fluid in the world for weightloss and your body needs it. If you want to lose weight, you have to drink water. It's that simple.

Breakfast. Aka: My Infamous Smoothie. This blog is in no way a plug, endorsement, or advertisement for the NutriBullet or the company that makes it. But in all honesty, I couldn't have done it (or continue to do it) without it. There is just no way I could eat as much fruit & veggies as I do without it. There, enough said on that. I start with Nuts & Seeds. Why? Fats. We need healthy Fats to be healthy people. Even the most ripped Bodybuiders in the world consume a certain amount of healthy Fat. Here's what I do:

Nuts & Seeds. I buy 2oz of each. All raw, all organic at Sprouts.

Almonds

Walnuts

Cashews

Pistachios

Peanuts

Brazilnuts

Sunflower

Pumpkin

Hempseed

Cumin

(Google: Soaking and Dehydrating nuts and seeds. You need to know this stuff). Once soaked & dehydrated, grind them up in a blender, food processor, or what have you, and freeze them. They'll make a two-months supply of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins for smoothies at 1/4 cup (21g) per smoothie. And there's the bulk of your Healthy Fats!

Chia Seeds. Another healthy Fat. Chia Seeds are an amazing miracle of Nature. They literally are miraculous for weightloss, taste like nothing, and provide good health. Two leveled tablespoons in the smoothie.

Whey Protein Powder. This is the bulk of the Protein in the smoothie. Protein gives you strength while burning fat. One scoop.

Almond Milk (vanilla-unsweetened). You can read up on it until the cows come home. It's healthier than milk and better for fat loss. One cup in the smoothie.

100g Leafy Greens. This is the Carbs part of the smoothie. This is also is where the serious nutrition kicks in. 100g (or two handfuls) may seem like a lot. but like I said, when you drink it, it's easy. You'll fill up, feel good, and know your healing your body. But you can't eat the same Greens every day. In another blog, I'll post my How to Rotate your Greens formula.

Mixed Fruit. Tasty, lots of Carbs, and a natural form of sugar. At Target, get a bag of Mixed Tropical fruit and a bag of Mixed Antioxidant fruit. There are tons of carbs in fruit that'll keep you losing weight at an even pace. But don't go crazy here. Carbs are still carbs. and unused carbs are stored as Fat. Use just enough to taste. 1/4 cup at most from each bag.

Ginger Root. Slice of a piece as big as a silver dollar, peel off the skin, and throw it it.

Random Veggie. The Smoothie is complete. But from here I like to throw in a Red Bell Pepper, or a purple Beet, or some other random color. Just for health and variety.

That's it! You're hovering around 400 calories, 50g of Protein, 25g of Carbs, and 15g of Fat. Many Juicer and Smoothie aficionados will live on nothing but three to five of these per day for days, weeks, and even months! Not me, I need to chew on something as well.

Let me finish this post by saying: This smoothie is completely monitored. I see my Family Practitioner every Monday. He's a friend of mine and he loves my smoothie. I've lost 33lbs on just one a day and it's changed my way of thinking about food. By the way, he also loves my blood work and says that I'm quickly becoming one of the healthiest people he knows.

That's it for now. Next Blog will be on Day One of my new workout, along with a whole day of what I'm eating.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy making your own delicious smoothies and share your recipes with me! Leave your comments/questions below and Live Good!


-Charles

New Year - New Workout

Helloooo Blogger!!!

Since I changed up my eating habits and starting walking Treadmill 40 minutes per day back in August of 2013, I've lost 33lbs. And I know, it's great! But I've hit a plateau. I've stopped losing weight and My waist stopped shrinking as well. So, I'm forced to change things up. I also get a lot of question and comments on Facebook and Twitter. And because I don't feel that either should be used for blogging or a "Dear Diary," here we are.

I should preface by saying that I read a lot. No, A LOT! I'm currently in college (online) becoming a Cognitive/Behavioral Psychologist, and I have taken a real liking to the study of fitness & nutrition. I read anywhere from two to four hours per day on everything weightloss and bodybuilding. Not Arnold Terminator bodybuilding - but taking control over the way you want to look and feel bodybuilding. And trust me, this is a lot better than just looking into a fridge or gym and wondering, What do I do?

For me, This Ten-Month Blog will document what I eat & drink, chart my workouts & body measurements, and answer any questions you may have. For you, maybe this will give you a chance to learn through my trials & errors while watching a fat dude get his fitness on! The photo below is me from Aug. 23rd through December 23rd. I posted it on the NutriBullet Facebook site and they offered to put it in an Infomercial. At 6' 2," I am currently 250lbs and still have a long way to go. But I'll get there. Thanks for reading, I look forward to your comments. Speaking of, feel free to add your comments and/or questions any time. I make every effort to respond. Welcome to The Charles N. Greggo Blog.