My Current Fat Man Workout Routine47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 19, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 44 comments
The following is my new weekly workout routine. I decided to switch things up a bit after reading John’s post about multi-joint exercises. I try to switch things up every six or so weeks so that my body doesn’t adapt. Now was the perfect time. Right now I am going to focus on working in multi-joint exercises with three full body strength workouts per week. Each should take less than an hour, more like 30 minutes to complete. I go moderate to heavy on each lift, with a 30 second rest between sets. I perform three to four sets per exercise with 10 to 12 reps each. I warm up with a set of push ups each day and will be incorporating pull ups/chin ups, as soon as I can lift my fat ass body weight again. On these days I also hop on my recumbent bike for one hour when I sit down to watch TV.
I had to print out a chart so that I could remember what to do on the days I was lifting. I find it will take away the hassle of having to memorize the routine. That helps me focus on the lifting. So I opened up Microsoft Word and did my thing. Now the chart is hanging in The Shack.
Free Workout Routine:
Day 1 (Tuesday)
1. Barbell Squats - 135 lbs, 185 lbs, 205 lbs, 225 lbs (I used to squat over 400 lbs in high school, it’s been a while)
2. Flat Bench - 135 lbs, 225lbs x 3, 205 lbs
3. Dumbbell Presses - 50 lbs x 3
4. Incline Bench (Barbell) - 135 lbs x 2, 155 lbs
Day 2 (Thursday)
1. Deadlift - 135 lbs, 155 lbs x 2, 185 lbs
2. Step Ups (dumbbells) - 35 lbs, 50 lbs x 2
3. Dumbbell Rows - 50 lbs x 3
4. Close Grip Pulldowns (Palms facing inward) - 80 lbs x 3
5. Wide Grip Pulldowns - 65 lbs x 3
Day 3 (Saturday)
1. Lunges (Dumbbells) - 50 lbs x 3
2. Military (Overhead) Press - 135 lbs x 3
3. Dumbbell Military Press - 50 lbs x 3
4. Upright Rows - 60 lbs x 3
What do I do with my other days? Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are my cardio exercise days.
Free Exercise Routine:
1. I make sure to get some form of cardio in, whether it is on the treadmill, the bike, or outside cross training. I especially like doing HIIT. There’s nothing like it.
2. I also work my midsection on these days. I perform two sets of 100 twists (works best when done with weights), two sets of 15 reps on the ab wheel, and two sets of 40 to 50 crunches.
3. When I am extra energized I hop on the recumbent bike for another hour as a second workout. Sundays I’m a lazy bum and recuperate.
I had my first workout yesterday (Thursday, Day 2) and I felt it. All of it. I was drenched in sweat, my heart rate was up, and I was pumped. Not sure if you could see the sweat in the main photo above, but my wife tried to capture the essence of what I felt at the moment. I am looking forward to Saturdays workout. I love taking hot steam showers and drinking my protein/creatine/amino acids/glutamine shake afterwards, it feels really good when I am done with a tough workout session.
That’s my workout and I’m sticking to it!
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Multi-joint Exercises, Benching is Good but Curls are for Girls47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 18, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 16 comments
Yesterday John from Total Transformation wrote a great piece on multi-joint exercises. He pointed out their benefits which include time saving, fat loss, and muscle building, which is something that I am in need of. When he first mentioned multi-joint exercises to me I was at a loss for what they were. I had never heard of them and figured that they were something totally different from what I was currently doing.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I have been performing multi-joint exercises for years. I knew them as compound exercises. As a matter of fact, my workouts have been primarily based on performing multi-joint exercises such as bench pressing, squatting, military (overhead) press, dumbbell rows, upright rows, lunges, leg presses, dead lifts, push ups, dips and pull downs. I was ecstatic. I do sprinkle in some isolation exercises too. Those are biceps curls, triceps extensions, and calf raises to name a few. After reading his article, which concludes with a teaser for next weeks continuation, I have decided to remove the isolation exercises from my routine. For now I will focus on the major muscle groups with multi-joint movements.
In John’s article there is a link to AskMen.com writer Jim Carpentier’s take on multi-joint exercises. Reading both John’s and Jim’s articles have opened my eyes. First off, I felt like a dumb ass for not knowing that I was actually already doing the exercises, but more importantly they make a great point that you can build muscle faster with these compound exercises. Why? Because you are working out multiple (thats what the multi stands for I think) muscle groups at one time, which forces your body into working more and producing more of the stuff your muscles need. Plus you still get your biceps and triceps worked out. They go into a bit more detail in their articles and I suggest that you read them. It’s worth it.
When John posts his workouts I would continuously ask myself why is it that he only performs certain exercises. Now I have the answer. The guy has transformed himself into lean, mean, training machine. In high school my football coach would always say that curls were for girls. Seems like he knew what he was talking about.
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Tipping the Scales: 3 lbs. Lost this Week47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 16, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 24 comments
I am not happy with this weigh-in. Last week I said I would lose 5 lbs for this weigh-in, but failed. I hate failing. I feel like a failure now. Losing 3 lbs wasn’t enough.
I have that dubious goal of being under 300 lbs by November 1st, which now leaves me with 15 days to lose 16 pounds. That means that I have to lose more than one pound a day which isn’t exactly a safe thing to do. I don’t know if I can do it and now that means that I will fail again. The lack of confidence isn’t being helped here. Not one bit.
Since it seems a little far fetched to try and lose 16 lbs in 15 days, I am going to alter my goal. The new goal is to be near 305 lbs (over or under by 3 lbs) or less by November 1st. I think that’s a more attainable goal for me. I will keep on busting my butt though. This isn’t going to be a cake walk, but I am hoping to do it anyway. I am not going to change anything as far as my workout is concerned. I like how things are and I like the pump and sweat that I get from my weight lifting and cardio sessions. Looks like I am going to have to hop on the recumbent bike as I watch The Biggest Loser tonight.
Here’s to a bigger weight loss next week of 8 pounds. I hope. 
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Weight Loss Tips and Blogs Needed47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 14, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 48 comments
I need some help. Any one with any weight loss tips and blogs that can help me shed some extra weight and adjust to my new lifestyle are encouraged to share them. I am looking for tips and tricks that will assist me in losing some extra fat, gain more muscle, curb my appetite, and so on. Anything, so long as it’s SAFE. I don’t want to put myself in harms way, if you know what I mean. Over the next few weeks I will try out these tips and will report back on what worked and what didn’t work for me.
For now, I have a list of health blogs that I frequent and they occasionally share some weight loss tips and insight that I employ. Sometimes the tips or tricks aren’t spelled out in plain English, but they are there nonetheless. There are times when I just take what I learn from others and make something up that suits me.
Here is the current list, I hope to add to this over the next few months:
John Is Fit - http://www.johnisfit.com
Total Transformation Test - http://totaltransformation.wordpress.com
Gotta Keep It Off - http://www.gottakeepitoff.com
Fitness By Liz - http://www.fitnessbyliz.com
John Stone - http://johnstonefitness.com
The Fit Shack - http://www.thefitshack.com
Weight Loss Diva’s - http://weightlossdivas.com
Weigh Loss Weapons - http://www.weightlossweapons.com/blog/
Built BIG - http://www.builtbig.com/
Life Fitness Health - http://www.lifefitnesshealth.com
About.com Weight Loss - http://weightloss.about.com
Ask The Fit Bastard Blog - http://askthefitbastard.com/blog
Back in skinny jeans - http://www.backinskinnyjeans.com
Blogging Away Fat - http://bloggingawayfat.com
Burn The Fat Blog - http://www.burnthefatblog.com
Celebrity Diet Doctor - http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com
Cranky Fitness Cranky Fitness - http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com
The Diet Pulpit - http://dietpulpit.com
Curvy-chick.net - http://www.curvy-chick.net
Diet Blog - http://www.diet-blog.com/
FatBloggers.net - http://www.fatbloggers.net
fatfighterblogs.com - http://www.fatfighterblogs.com/
Fatty Weight Loss - http://www.fattyweightloss.com/index.shtml
Fitness Blog - http://fitness.families.com/blog/
Former Fat Guy Blog - http://www.formerfatguyblog.com
Half of Me - http://www.pastaqueen.com/halfofme/
I’m Such A Scale Whore - http://www.scalewhore.com
Iateapie.net - http://www.iateapie.net/reviews/
In Pursuit of Fitness - http://www.naturalphysiques.com/blog/
Lazy Man and Health - http://www.lazymanandhealth.com
MH The Fitness Insider - http://thefitnessinsider.menshealth.com/
Muscle Ventures - http://muscleventures.com/home/
No More Mr. Fat Guy - http://fatguyblog.com
Really Useful Fitness Blog - http://www.fitfaq.com/blog.html
Run to Win - http://news.runtowin.com
Straight to the Bar - http://www.straighttothebar.com/
Sucks To Be Fat - http://www.suckstobefat.com
The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl - http://www.dietgirl.org/dietgirl/
The Blog at BlogSoop - http://www.blogsoop.com/blog
The Fit Chic Fat Loss Blog - http://fitchicfatloss.com/blog
The Morbid Me - http://www.themorbidme.com/
The Nutrition Help Blog - http://nutritionhelp.blogspot.com/
TheWeighWeWere.com - http://www.theweighwewere.com/
Gaining Weight - http://www.gainingweight.info/
Unstoppable Fat Loss Blog - http://unstoppable-fatloss.com/blog
Weight Ladder - http://www.weightladder.com
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Tipping the Scales: 2 lbs. Lost this Week47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 9, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 16 comments
I can’t say I am surprised. Given the slow start I had to last week I was expecting to lose only a pound, but every little bit helps I suppose. This reminds me that I can’t slack off whenever I think that I a have accomplished something. My goal is to be at 299 lbs by November 1st and this makes me want it even more. I have about 3 weeks to lose 18 lbs.
I know I will do it. From today on I will not slack off or cheat or anything for the rest of the month. This will definitely put me on the right path. I am predicting a 5 pound weight loss next week. That’s right, 5 lbs. This should be easily attainable by eating healthy, exercising a bit more, and incorporating some new things. If I do good enough I may take Sunday off, but most likely I will not. I want to punish my body this week and teach it a lesson. If that makes any sense. It’s time to get hardcore up in this place. lol.
I am going to be lifting some weights today and then running. Both at high intensity so that I can get that pump that I love so much. If any one has any little tips or tricks that I can add to my routine, both exercise wise and daily living wise, please let me know. I am going to need every thing I can to lose the weight this month and having your help is appreciated.
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Monthly Weight Loss Pictures: 320 Lbs47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 5, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 27 comments
Well, it’s that time again. Time to post my monthly weight loss photos. This is a warning: The following is not a pretty site, if you are weak in the stomach then close out. NOW! I have been dreading taking these shots for a while, but I think it is a necessary evil.
Before I get to the pics, I want to touch on the subject of a weight loss contest that a certain someone by the name of Jesse challenged me to. It was about a month ago and the winner would be the one that lost the most weight all around. I think we all know who won. –>ME. But, seriously, I think we are both winners in this. She shed 7 lbs and lost a considerable amount of inches. I lost a total of 20 lbs and feel good with what’s to come. We both got closer to our goals and helped each other out in the process. You can see my updated stats on my Weight Loss Chart section.
So without further ado, here are the monthly pictures of the Fat Man Unleashed. Gulp. After seeing myself I realized how much farther I need to go, but I also realized that it’s one day at a time. I must say, I look way better with a shirt on. The stretch marks seem to be getting darker, which makes me angry.
You can compare them with my first fat pictures here. What do you think? Any progress? I don’t think so.
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Did I Lose Weight from a Hair Cut?47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 3, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 31 comments
I got a hair cut the other day and I feel a lot lighter and a little tighter. Did I really lose that much weight or is it my mind playing tricks on me? I tried analyzing my other photos but I couldn’t tell whether or not I had lost any significant weight on my face. What do you think?
You be the judge. Did I lose weight in my face or not? The above pics are from a few months ago, last week, and yesterday, respectively.
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Tipping the Scales: 4 lbs. Lost this Week47 lbs LOSTso farOctober 2, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 16 comments
Another week gone by and another weigh-in. I had been looking forward to today’s weigh-in all week because I was having a huge week workout wise. I estimated that I would lose about 5 lbs. I was off by one pound. Not bad.
I think it’s good weight that I am losing, not just water weight. I may be building some muscle too, so that may lead to lower weight loss numbers per week. To date I have lost 20 lbs. It should be more but I had to take that one week off when my ankle was hurting. It seems like both a lot and a little.
I am 51 lbs away from my main longterm goal of 269 lbs. My next goal is to lose 21 more pounds so that I am below 300 lbs by the end of October. I think that implementing short term goals helps because it gives you a sense of satisfaction when you hit a benchmark, no matter how big or how small it may be.
Yesterday I decided to switch up my routine a bit. As you can see by the photo, it definitely makes me sweat. I plan on weight lifting Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. During these days I will also perform some cardio, either on my recumbent bike, the treadmill, or the park. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my primary cardio days. These will be my HIIT days. I love HIIT. I will also work my abs and some calisthenics such as push ups and other military style exercises. Sunday will be my “do whatever” day. Whatever feels right is what I will do. If I need to rest and take a day off, so be it.
So that’s my routine in a nutshell. Simple right?
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Fat Man Down, Looking forward to Biggest Loser47 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 25, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 15 comments
Hurt My Ankle, No Weight Loss
Ahhhh! I didn’t lose any weight. My initial reaction is to freak out, but considering what has transpired over the last week, I am fine with it. Last week I hurt my ankle slightly. I pulled a ligament in my ankle and had to sit out a few days. I could barely walk without feeling any pain. Then once that was semi healed, my knee began to bother me. I don’t know if it’s at all mental or if my body just needed a few days off. But I have noticed that whenever I go hard on the two a day workouts that my body begins to get aches and pains that I have only felt during my football playing days. That sucks because I feel derailed, although I think this week I will be able to get back on track. I gotta stay strong!
I plan to start off this week with one hard workout a day, supplemented with a light cardio session. I tried jumping rope the other day and it really kicked my butt. My arms couldn’t sustain the turning of the rope and I felt clumsy as I kept stumbling on the rope as I attempted to jump it. Jumping rope has always come easy to me, so seeing what the effects of massive weight gain can have on my body is disturbing and disheartening. We’ve also been planning on going to the park but it’s been raining every afternoon, which eliminates our family park time.
The Biggest Loser - Week 3
After week ones massive weight loss I wasn’t surprised to see many of the participants with lower weigh lost last week. I was shocked that the numbers were really low for some folks though. The Black team keeps kicking butt and I suspect that they won’t be letting up any time soon. Jillian seems to have some monkey on her back. I don’t know why. I really thought that the red team captain was going to be sent home, which would have been a bummer. I like the guy. Why? Because he is huge and an ex-football player. I have a soft spot for jocks. I am looking forward to tonight’s show. I think the black team will be losing someone this week. Let’s see if I am correct on my prediction.
That’s about all I have for now. This non weight loss has set me back on my competition with Jesse, but I think I can bounce back hardcore style next week for our weigh-in. Jesse, I am gonna win. So don’t even try!
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HIIT Training Hits Me Hard47 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 23, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 12 comments
In my ongoing quest to lose weight and get back into shape I keep coming across many individuals that are proponents of HIIT Training. It is my understanding that HIIT is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. I have done some minimal research on it and most resources state the same: Perform short bursts of high intensity cardio followed by short bursts of low intensity cardio. You do this for several cycles in increments of 30 seconds to 2 minutes. It really depends on the person performing the HIIT and their fitness level.
A friend of mine has always told me to sprint instead of jog but I am jogger not a sprinter. I enjoy going for long runs testing my endurance. He has always told me to do 40 yard sprints so that I can lose weight and build some muscle. He would always refer to Olympic sprinters and their muscularity. Knowing this, I would still avoid sprinting and HIIT. But recently I started some HIIT training, and boy did it kick my butt.
Everyone that I asked about HIIT would tell me to wait until I lose some more weight before trying HIIT. Being the kind of person that I am, I did not listen. I like challenges and figured this would be a good challenge. It was! What I did was search for different types of HIIT routines and then adapt them to my treadmill and stamina. I began by jogging at about 3.5 MPH for 5 minutes. That was a good warm up. Then I upped the speed to 4.5 MPH for another 2 minutes. After that I cranked it to 5.5 MPH for 1.5 minutes. I started sweating immediately as my heart rate picked up. I then reduced the speed to 4.5 MPH for another 1.5 minutes. I did this cycle about 5 times and then finished off the run with a 3 minute jog at 3.5 MPH and a 4 minute walk at 2.5 MPH.
This seemingly simple looking workout left me panting and craving water. But it also left me wanting more. I felt invigorated and energized. Afterwards I wanted to keep running but I knew that my legs had had enough and that I needed to rest. I plan on doing this 5 times a week for about 3 to 4 weeks and then switching off to long distance jogging routine. I think it will assist with my endurance and fat loss. We shall see.
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Showers are a Workout Too47 lbs LOSTso farSeptember 21, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments
Maybe it’s because I am over 300 lbs or maybe it’s because my shower is tiny, but showering is like working out. I tested this by showering yesterday immediately after I worked out and showering today an hour after I worked out. The differences were staggering.
When I showered immediately (within 15 minutes) after working out, I was out of breath. Each movement, each scrub was like an exercise move. I do tend to scrub vigorously, so maybe that is part of it. I could feel myself sweating as the water hit me. I feel my muscles working and it feels as though I am undergoing some sort of endurance challenge. It was almost like yoga: Balancing myself on one leg in order to scrub the bottom of my feet. I actually had to stop in between scrubs so that I could catch my breath. When I waited an hour after working out I was fine. No heavy breathing and no muscle soreness.
I also tested this theory with varying water temperatures. I am a hot shower kind of guy because I like the sauna effect it gives. I found that the temperature of the water doesn’t really effect me that much. It’s more about the time I allot in between my shower and my workout.
This sounds retarded, but think about it. I like the fact that it’s like a workout because I consider it just that, a workout. Albeit, a short one. But it’s just another tool in my arsenal for my weight loss. It reminds me of some aquatic exercises I partook in while in college. My football coach made the entire team take a pool exercising class. They made use run in place, swim, and jump/lung in the water. It was more tiring than I expected it to be. I think I am going sign up at the YMCA for some pool classes.
Is that crazy? Using showering as a workout?
Give it a try and let me know how your next shower goes.
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