Day 4 - Body For Life Cardio Workout

I feel great today! I literally haven’t felt this good in quite some time. This challenge is giving me confidence and structure. I’ve resisted tempting treats and stuck to a decent diet. I had an egg sandwich this morning and a protein meal replacement drink at lunch. I did the elliptical cardio workout again and hit the 172 mark for heart rate again! I really pushed at the end. I wanted to stop, but I kept going and worked harder in the final minutes.

It’s a great feeling to get this back. This will. This drive.

I’m looking forward to another awesome upper body workout tomorrow morning.

Day 3 - Body For Life Lower body / abs

Today I am incredibly sore from my Day 1 upper body workout. My wife joined me on this workout. She has been working out for quite some time and is much more advanced than I in terms of the soreness factor you experience when beginning a training regimen, in addition to the fact she has incredible endurance!

At the gym some guy asked if I’m working out under a program. I told him BFL. He seemed very familiar with the program and asked how often I do abs. I told him I do them on lower body days. He suggested that I do abs EVERY DAY. He said, “Abs are made at the dinner table. Abs are made at the dinner table.” I laughed along with him out of courtesy. You know, It does seem like abs could be done more often. I think whoever came up with the Body For Life workout plugged abs in with lower body as a filler. The program is designed to get you in and out in about 45 minutes on upper body and lower body days. I definitely don’t think it would hurt to do abs more often. I might sneak some in at home on a random basis.

This was a pretty decent workout for me. I did leg curls for my hamstrings and began cramping badly during my 3rd set. I also had some serious cramping during the abs workout. I’m excited about getting Day 3 over with in the morning!

Thanks random ab suggester guy at the gym.

I had an egg sandwich for breakfast with whole grain bread. I’m hungrier than usual during the day which I attribute to the extra exercise in my life. I suppose the hunger pain is all part of the gain.

Progress hurts, but I like it.

Day 2 - Body For Life Cardio Workout

I had a killer workout on the elliptical machine. I used to do my Body For Life cardio workout on the treadmill. Now, when I run, my shins began screaming after about 8 minutes. It could be my piece of crap shoes; it could be the treadmill. I’m not sure.

Anyway, the elliptical workout was very satisfying. The Body For Life cardio workouts are designed to get your heartrate going pretty good in 20 minutes through a series of intervals. Think of your exertion on a scale from 5-10. Now, apply that scale to walking/running. A 5 would be walking; a 10 would be running your ass off. The intervals are 1 minute long for a total of 20 minutes and they go as follows: 5,5,6,7,8,9,6,7,8,9,6,7,8,9,6,7,8,9,10,3. Now, here’s how I did it on the elliptical machine.

Coincidentally, my heartrate was at its peak during the high points. I was able to get my heartrate up to 172 on this exercise. I also went 2.25 miles. This is a great way to accurately hit the hight points. It’s much more tough when you are running outdoors to make sure you are nailing the high points.

I went to the store and bought 8 cans of tuna, a bag of Spinach leaves and a bottle of Lite Italian dressing. I eat will eat this for lunch each day at noon and drink a Myoplex shake around 2:00.

Day 1 - Beginning of Body For Life Program - Upper body

I kicked off the Body For Life with a great upper body workout. My shoulders gave out during the military press. My wife did this workout with me and didn’t even break a sweat! She is used to doing more cardio stuff with the weights. I really like this workout plan because it is very structured and structure is what I need right now.

It sucks going to the gym at night this close to the new year. People are still trying to fulfill their resolutions and they are crowding up the gym. Hopefully, some of these people start failing and give up soon.

In my life, I’ve realized the older I get, the harder it is to get back into decent shape. I’m only 32, but geez… I feel much older. I look forward to getting back on track and feeling better about myself. I weigh more than I ever have and can safely say I feel like more crap than I ever have.

The Body For Life Workout and Nutrition Program - An Overview

Body For Life Upper Body Workout
The upper body workout consists of working the chest, back, shoulders, biceps and triceps. You work one muscle group at a time before moving on to the next. With each muscle group you do 6 sets of the following reps: 12,10,8,6,12,12. You rest for 1 minute in between each set except for the final set where you do not rest betweens sets 5 and 6. Then, you rest 2 minutes before moving on to the next muscle group. As you move from set to set you increase the weight/resistance. On the 5th set of 12, you use the same weight that you used for the 3 set of 8 reps. On the final set, you choose a different exercise for that same muscle group with a weight/resistance level similar to your 5th set. This is the most important set. This is considered the high point. It may take a few workouts to find the right weight to use between sets.

Body For Life Lower Body Workout
The lower body workout consists of working the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and abdominals. Like the upper body workout, the lower body workout consists of 6 sets for each muscle group with repetitions of 12,10,8,6,12 and 12, for each.

Body For Life Cardio Workout
I have explained in good detail how the cardio workout should go in my Day 2 post.

Body For Life Nutrition Plan
The plan recommends that you eat 6 times per day… smaller meals of course. This meal should be a nice balance of carbs and protein. By eating more frequently, you can maintain energy levels while burning fat more effectively.