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.