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 By: Joel Tietge
The overall training program I have developed is quite different from what most people would do I think. But that is because I tailored it to my personal goals... as should you. It is foolish to blindly follow a program that someone else designed if your own goals don't coincide with the predicted outcome of the program. With that said, if you are following the program that I am using, feel free to adjust any aspect of it to suit your goals. One of my main goals is to drop body fat so I am going to try to maximize calorie burning both during my bodybuilding workouts and outside of them. No, I will not be using light weight and high repetitions; this is an ineffective method for anyone looking for a speedy body re-comp. Lifting heavy weight is one of the best ways, if not the very best way, to burn fat while building/toning muscle. However, the usual bodybuilding routine is full of gaps for resting that could otherwise be used for calorie burning. So, what we do is slightly lower lifting intensity and volume, reduce resting periods, and perform the workout three days per week. Here is my workout:
 Jumping Jacks - Legs Only  Click To Enlarge.
 Click To Enlarge. Plank Hold.
Plank Hold Video
MPEG (1.5 MB)
    Click To Enlarge. Frog Leaps
This is what I do on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Resting between sets should be kept at 45-60 seconds. Also, I made it a point to intersperse lower body lifts with upper body lifts in order to keep the blood flowing and create more of a cardiovascular workout. Some of the exercises are a little weird but they are specific to my needs. Knuckle Pushups & Twisting Crunches
  Click To Enlarge. Pushups (Shown Flat Handed). With the twisting crunch exercise, you are crunching your elbow up to your opposite knee while simultaneously bringing that knee up to meet the elbow. And be sure to count each repetition in pairs.
  Click To Enlarge. Twisting Crunch.
Ab-Wheel & Plank Hold
  Click To Enlarge. Ab-Wheel. Both ab-wheel and plank hold focus on abdominal stabilization which is what the abs are all about. Frog Leaps
And keep in mind that one should try to land as softly as possible not only to spare the joints of the impact, but also because landing softly requires more muscular coordination and recruitment. Deadlift
  Click To Enlarge. Deadlift.
Obviously, weight lifting alone is not enough to burn all of the weekly calories that I must burn. I have therefore calculated the number of calories burned through additional activities. I chose the activities I did in order to maximize variety and satisfy personal endeavors. Below is a break down of how many calories I burn through activity in a single week:
Obviously, this is a very specific and tailored regimen. Let's take a look at some of the activities:
Don't you laugh! This can actually be a very challenging and fun way to burn calories.
The game has a rather high learning curve and one must be fairly good in order to play at a level that gets you sweating and breathing. I find that the game not only provides a great cardiovascular workout, but also enhances ones visual reaction time. I prefer playing for 30 minutes before my first meal of the day.
Suddenly, doing what appears to be nothing more than floating around and waving your arms causes you to break into a full body sweat. What's most beautiful though is that in the end, instead of feeling wiped out, you feel rejuvenated. You become focused and calm yet lively. Needless to say, I support the study of these arts for everyone's lifestyle.
Also, I have been occasionally adding an extra mile to my runs and get involved in various sports like street hockey. With that in mind, I can easily assume that I'm burning more than I need to per week. I fully did not expect that. This revelation leads me to a new idea. I must amend my diet.
Soon after week one I was shown the powerful way in which the body can adapt. I could feel myself slowing down due to lack of calorie intake. My metabolism was compensating for what it thought was a starvation period. This is the kind of thing a dieter wants to avoid at all costs. Going into starvation mode will make it hard to lose weight even when consuming insanely low amounts of food. And the longer you're on it, the harder it becomes to escape. Weaving around this obstacle requires only a simple trick: zig-zig dieting.
Since my diet already has enough protein, I make this extra 500 calories come from complex, low-GI carbs and healthy fats; about 300 calories from carbs and 200 from fats. This little change will actually do a lot in terms of aiding performance (the carbs provide energy), and enhancing fat loss (eating fat helps burn fat and supports hormone production).
Green Tea supplements should be standardized for EGCG and you should aim for 250-1000mg of EGCG per day. Going over 1000mg will not increase fat burning. The fat burning effects of EGCG are greatly enhanced by caffeine.
Rhodiola is specifically known for its ability to boost mood and sense of well-being which can be very helpful when trying to resist eating sugar and fat laden snacks. Rhodiola directly helps fat loss by activating adipose lipase which will help stimulate the release of stored fatty acids into the bloodstream for burning.
Traditionally applications show that Bacopa can be used to enhance concentration (among other things) by improving nerve impulse transmission which will indirectly lead to improved strength and athletic performance. It may also have applications in fat loss due to its ability to normalize low thyroid levels. Furthermore, very high dosages of Bacopa extract may significantly increase T4 output which can lead to increased weight loss.
We don't discover what truly makes us human until relinquishing luxury. To meet a challenge in every moment is to find victory in every breath. With this outlook, I can confidently approach the difficulties of my current plan as well as those inherent in everyday life. I allow the discipline necessary to perform well athletically, to transcend context, and be a part of everything I do. In this way, my diet and workouts become much more important to every hour of my life. This allows me to give it my all, to push myself in ways I would've never done had I simply looked upon that heavy squat as just another lift among many. No, it can be much more. Let the building of the muscles of your body translate into the strength of your soul. When you get right down to it, we are not obligated to do anything. We can simply lie down and die. What we do is decide to be obligated, usually to things that deep down we understand must be done, but we don't really want to do them. Is that how you see nutrition and fitness? If so, then you will never succeed. One must exercise to the fullest. Be obligated to nothing. See the value in everything you do, decide that it is something you want to do and therefore must do, and even mundane tasks will become meaningful and joyous. Strive... no... thirst for excellence in the challenge of every moment. Suddenly it will become unnecessary to obligate yourself.
I started this program on August 10 and planned to cut for 3 weeks which would have me end on August 31. But I believe in living life to its fullest and adjusting schedules; this is no big deal when done to accommodate for special events. With that said, the last 4 days or so have been spent celebrating and saying farewell to my good friend Angela (who at 5'1" and a ripped 120 lbs., can deadlift over 300) who is going overseas to study. Needless to say, I partied, missed a workout and ate a little junk food. And although the damage done on those days to my cutting really wasn't all that bad, I'm going to add an extra week of cutting just in case. So on September 7th I will officially end my cutting and begin the transition into a lean bulk. My next update will be at that time and outline how I plan to meet what was considered by the Greeks to be the perfect human form. Just what was that? I will tell you in part 4 of Going Full Circle.
 To Be Notified Of Updates Click Here.
Until next time,
Joel Tietge
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