Though physically there is some visual improvement, most of the improvement came via numbers. i.e. - my bench press increased by 15 pounds, military press by 10 pounds, the amount of reps I could do also increased, and my resting heart rate went below 60. Blood pressure is also low at 114/70. I lost no weight, but did lose an inch in the waist, leaving me to believe I translated some fat into muscle.
While I did want to pretty much cut out all carbs and go paleo, unfortunately I pretty much had already done that as much as is "bachelorly" possible. Meaning to cut out carbs would require I make my own food and go WAY out of my way to do so. I got sick of spending an hour in the grocery store looking up "carbs" on the back of boxes. Carbs are freaking everywhere. Nearly impossible to cut it out of your diet beyond just not eating bread, pasta and other obvious things. It's easier instead to just work out more or run some physical chores or errands and eat the occasional Mexican dish than piss away an hour a day "looking up carbs."
The work out routine I followed was alternative lifting weights and running each day, it was also closely paralleled to Victor Pride's "30 Days of Discipline." So one day I would lift weights and the next day I would run. I forced myself to run 6 miles a day no matter how cold or how tired I was. I would take Sunday's off. Thankfully, however, this routine has become engrained and I will continue it.
17 comments:
Effort is rewarded!
6 days of training a week is good if you find it doesn't impair your sleep.
If you manage to get eight hours per night, fine.
If you're getting less than eight hours of sleep per night, consider cutting back to four or five training days per week.
"this routine has become engrained"
That's the key.
And don't forget that you can also lower your carb intake by ... eating less carbs. As opposed to eating low-carb food.
You don't have to cut out all carbs. In fact, on weight lifting days you should eat a LOT of carbs right after your workout (search: carb refeed) to replenish your muscles' glycogen stores- potatoes and bananas are the classic way to do this. On other days try sticking to berries and fruits.
Need more muscle! :D
I've gotta get back in the gym regularly. I've lost 50 pounds from my max bench by taking a 2 month break. :/ 315# is too low! Must reach 500#!
try eating a pound of raw vegetables....
you won't increase much except for fiber and water....
yeah, carbs are everywhere and so is high fruitcose corns syrup...
if you drink coffee, drink it black...
also the hardest part for me-I have a sweet tooth was cutting out chocolate milk shakes and 7-11 hot chocolates....
I dropped 5 lbs just from the veggies and sweets--I still allow myself dark chocolate in moderation and if someone offers me candy I don't decline....
Congratulations! I'm considering joining a gym soon so I can start building some more muscle mass, but the future seems a bit uncertain right now.
Going to a Paleo diet doesn't mean avoiding carbs, in fact, you shouldn't avoid them at all. The foods to avoid while going Paleo are processed foods, grains, refined sugars and dairy. Moving towards eating lean meats will help as well (free-range turkey breast, free range chicken breast, grass fed beef and seafood like shrimp and salmon). I've been doing Paleo for two months or so now and I've shed over 20 pounds and roughly 4-5% body fat. Check out The "Paleo Diet" by Loren Cordain. Good book to go over fundamentals and explain why some foods are encouraged rather than others.
As others have said eating Paleo does NOT demand low carb to go along with it. Paleo is pretty carb agnostic actually and if you're working out they're pretty much a necessity if you want to recover properly.
White rice, although no strictly paleo, is a pretty benign source of carbs along with the aforementioned bananas, sweet potatoes (white potatoes are fine too, especially if you peel them).
Eating paleo means cutting out all the grains dairy and starches and sugar, in other words - carbs. So you've actually got a bit a leeway with eating potatoes and the like without worrying too much about eating too many carbs.
PS. Just found your blog from a link Roosh posted to one of your articles on twitter. Enjoying it immensely so far. Keep up the good work
You look a lot better in the face. That posture looks off to me - symmetry is a key attractor as it denotes good genes, not to mention putting undue strain on certain bits.
Congrats Captain. Your progress is inspirational.
Here is a tip that works for me...eat tons of sardines! Make sure you get sardines in water, not soybean oil. Put some extra virgin oil on the sardines, and eat this 2-3 times a day. This is a great food, high in omega 3, protein, minerals and nutrients. Also, I believe it is great brain food, give it a shot along with canned herring. Everyone else's advice is good too.
Anything in a box is most likely not going to be Paleo. Try staying on the edges of the grocery story where all the fresh produce and meats are.
Nice boxers
As my spouse has learned to say: "You make those jeans look good" so...you make those jeans look good.
Hey Mr. Clarey, haven't ever posted on your blog, but I'm a big fan and wanted to congratulate your progress. If you feel like something different, you should check out the Stronglifts 5x5 program, awesome way to build strength and muscle mass.
At least your head didn't get any bigger or you'd look like a real life manikin.
You did great buddy. You wanted it, you went for it. As simple as that.
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