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I was going to write a gigantic post describing my first day of using the “Body for Life” program, and I was going to include all sorts of information about the theory behind it, but I’ve run out of time. So I’m going to take the “short and sweet” approach.
Today was my first day as a full-time writer. The first thing I did was get out of bed, drink two glasses of water, and drive to the gym. The weight room was empty again, much to my delight. I gathered all my dumbbells together at a single weight bench, and I began the workout.
I was glad to have gone to they gym last week to teach myself the various lifts I’ve elected to do. I didn’t have to waste time today trying to figure out what I was doing. I could concentrate on trying to keep proper form.
The problem was that proper form was difficult to maintain. I am weak. I cannot lift much weight. And my left side is even weaker than my right. There’s a bizarre disparity between what each arm can lift. They both can curl about the same weight, but shoulder and chest? Forget about it. I lost control of 25 pound dumbbell on my final rep with that weight, and my left arm collapsed. The weight landed on my chest, thank goodness. If it had landed on my face, I’d be writing a much different entry.
After this incident, I began to scale back the weights I was working with. It was difficult to find weights that my left arm could handle but which weren’t too easy for my right arm. I tried a set of mis-matched weights, but that was awkward, and I wasn’t sure that was an acceptable solution.
So, I muddled through.
I don’t mean to make it sound like it was a bad experience. It wasn’t. It was actually rather exhilarating. And I worked up a sweat! While lifting weights!
Here’s how the Body for Life program works:
You pick a particular muscle group (chest, for example) to work. You select one of the four exercises for that group (dumbbell presses, for example, which are like bench presses but with dumbbells). First you do 12 reps with a light weight, rest a minute, do 10 reps with a slightly heavier weight, rest a minute, do 8 reps of a heavier weight, rest a minute, and then do 6 reps with the heaviest weight before resting another minute. That’s the easy part. The hard part comes next: you perform the exercise one last time doing 12 reps of a weight that will force you to exert maximum effort. And then, without resting, you immediately move to a second exercise for the same muscle group, performing 12 reps with a similar attempt to reach maximum effort.
That’s the first muscle group. After you’re done with that, you do all of the muscle groups for the area of the body you’re working. (I was working upper body today.)
Ideally, all this takes about 45 minutes, though it takes me more like an hour.
That’s day one.
On day two, you don’t lift weights — you do twenty minutes of aerobic exercise. This exercise is meant to follow a very specific pattern, though, one similar to the weight-lifting. There are brief warm-up and cool-down periods, but in between are four cycles of “intensity intervals”, during which you gradually ramp up your effort before easing off. On the final cycle, you go all out for sixty seconds, working as hard as you possibly can.
And that’s it. That’s the aerobic exercise component for day two.
On day three, you lift weights, focusing on the area of the body you didn’t do on the first day. (So, for example, I’ll be working my lower body on Wednesday.)
Day four is more aerobic. Day five is back to upper body weights. Day six is more aerobic. And on the seventh day you rest. The next week, you do it all again (except that you do alternate which part of the body gets two days of weights).
That’s the exercise component of the Body for Life program.
The dietary component is easier to explain. Every day, consume six small meals. Each meal should consist of a portion of high-quality protein and a portion of high-quality carbohydrate. A portion is about the size of your hand. Also eat a couple of extra vegetables every day. And drink a ton of water. Do this six days out of every week. The seventh day — which can vary from week-to-week — you can eat whatever you want.
What I like about this program is that it’s simple. It’s not easy — it’s a lot of work, in fact — but it’s not complicated. I understand the concept, and I’m willing to devote twelve weeks to it. (Of course, the entire hook is that after twelve weeks, nobody’s going to want to go back to their old way of life.)
I also like the fact that while the author encourages discipline, he understands real life. “If you miss a workout, you miss a workout,” he says. “If you have a piece of pie, you have a piece of pie. Don’t let one mistake throw you off your game.” This is vital, I think. It’s something I learned while getting rid of my debt, and now it’s something I need to remind myself of as I get rid of my fat.
In any event, I’m quite pleased with my workout today, and I look forward to tomorrow morning’s appointment with the rowing machine…
(Ha! So my quick post about “Body for Life” turned into a gigantic post after all.)
Mac
28 responses so far ↓
1 greenman2001 // Mar 10, 2008 at 8:47 pm
“Rather exhilarating.” You’re the best, JD.
Six days a week in the gym, starting from scratch, is very ambitious. I wonder what you’re giving up to make time for this, and how the things you’re giving up will fight back. I remember that when I asked Mac what he had been doing that he was now not doing once he started going to the gym, he replied, “Nothing!”
Two fistfulls of food six times a day sounds perfect to me. Sounds like you skipped breakfast, though. If you persevere with weight lifting, you’re going to need to be very thoughtful about what you eat and when you eat it.
Be patient with yourself about the weight you’re lifting. You’ve got a lifetime of this ahead of you. You’re using a time-tested, extremely effective way of building muscle: believe in the program and let it work before you get frustrated and push yourself to the point of injury.
I’m glad you finally have a plan, even if it’s an extremely ambitious one. I really look forward to your look back 12 weeks from now.
Can you ride your bike to the gym?
2 Lazy Man and Health // Mar 10, 2008 at 9:05 pm
As I was reading this, I almost went numb thinking that this was going to be the short post.
I’ve read a little about the Body for Life program in Men’s Health in the past. It seemed like it pushed the EAS brand of supplements (Myoplex in particular). It made me think that the program is a marketing campaign to sell those supplements. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work or make sense, but you probably can substitute your own supplements.
I pick up some cheap whey protein at Wal-Mart - it’s good enough.
3 Never the Same River Twice // Mar 11, 2008 at 4:24 am
JD, your last post on Body for Life inspired me to use their weightlifting program. I was looking for a switch and it looked like a good option.
I have to say - it’s tough! You truly work your muscle groups to exhaustion. I’ve done the upper body workout twice with different exercises and I’ve had a hard time lifting my arms the next day!
I can definitely see you getting very good results if you stick with this plan for 12 weeks. Just don’t overdo the weights. You don’t need a flat face!
4 grimsaburger // Mar 11, 2008 at 4:24 am
Ditto on the breakfast thing–I ran before breakfast once, and I’ll never do that again. I’ve never felt so weak in my life.
And ditto on the disparity in arm strength. I’m right handed, and my right arm was marginally thinner than my left, but stronger as well. It’s a little disturbing at first, but doing the same weights and reps on both sides will even them out over time. You just have to be a little patient with not exerting maximum effort on that one side.
Or, you know, you could just go with the Homer-as-arm-wrestler look.
5 Susan // Mar 11, 2008 at 4:30 am
I’m with greenman2001. Get a little fuel in you before going to the gym. It may give you more energy and stamina. Take your time with the weights. Really focus on proper form. Use lighter weights to get that proper form. You’ll be moving on to the heavier ones in no time, and you’ll be motivated noticing your progress!
Did you take your “before” photos (so you can be amazed by your “after” photos when the day comes)?
I wish you the best in your Body for Life program!
6 Tom // Mar 11, 2008 at 4:48 am
Just to agree with the previous two posters, start with light weights and master the form. Heavier weights will come, and if you don’t get the form right, you’ll end up hurting yourself.
Also, don’t use different weights on different sides of the body. It will probably end up hurting you, and in the best case, you’ll end up looking ridiculous. If you use the same weights on both sides, it will even out soon enough.
7 Eric Nagel // Mar 11, 2008 at 4:50 am
“The problem was that proper form was difficult to maintain. I am weak. I cannot lift much weight.”
A little weight goes a long way. The group I workout with was doing shoulders today during class - I had 10lb. dumbbells, as much of the class did. By the 3rd set, 10lbs. was HEAVY! Even the guy who does 150lbs. on the seated military press was struggling.
My weigh-in is this Friday… I’m not feeling too confident about this one. My goal is 11% body fat (fingers crossed)
8 MS // Mar 11, 2008 at 4:55 am
Great job! I second what grimsaburger said about the disparity between the arms - use your weaker side as your indicator, it will catch up with your strong side pretty soon.
BTW, I have some blank BFL-ready forms I created to track my progress. If you want to see/use them, let me know.
9 J.D. // Mar 11, 2008 at 5:03 am
Thanks, MS, for the offer on the blank forms, but I’m actually just using index cards, that way I don’t generate so much paper.
And finally, I’m not skipping breakfast, though I am eating it after the workout. Body for Life recommends getting out of bed, drinking 2 glasses of water, working out, and then waiting an hour before eating. All this is to encourage the body to burn fat instead of new fuel.
Speaking of which — it’s time for me to head to the gym for day one of the aerobic portion. See you all later!
10 Mark // Mar 11, 2008 at 5:07 am
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”
Don’t skip breakfast, it doesn’t help you at all. I know everytime I skip breakfast, especially before a workout, I have zero energy and the workout is pretty much a waste of time. If you want something quick that tastes good try a Cliff “Z” bar. They are all of 140 calories and have a good mix of protein, carbs, and fat plus they actually taste good (chocolate brownie is the best).
Have you thought about getting a heart rate monitor? They are a great tool to make sure you are working in the right zone.
Congrats on starting Body For Life!
11 grimsaburger // Mar 11, 2008 at 5:16 am
On a scale of 1 to 10, I know 2 about exercise physiology, so bear that in mind…
When you don’t eat and then ask your body to do a lot of work, you disrupt that metabolic cycle that keeps your body performing as it’s supposed to. Feed the machine, then work it out. Then feed it again.
Bottom line, I’d say to try it both ways, breakfast and no breakfast, and listen to what your body’s telling you. If you feel like hell either way, I suppose it doesn’t make a big enough difference.
12 Josh // Mar 11, 2008 at 5:45 am
The idea behind skipping breakfast is that you are already in famine mode when you get out of bed. You’ve been fasting 8+ hours. Exercising at this time will burn fat reserves.
However, if you want to build (more) muscle you want to have some amino acids floating around in your bloodstream immediately after fatiguing the muscle. Muscle is good, in the long run the added metabolism from extra lean mass will far outweigh the fat burned from being starving during workout.
So, like other I’d eat before working out. If you want to compromise make it protein only. That way your body will have to draw on fat for immediate energy but you have some protein to help muscle growth/repair start immediately. Eat a couple eggs, a piece of ham/turkey, cottage cheese, anything with very low amounts of carbs and no sugar.
IIRC, Bill Phillips no longer owns EAS so his now Body For Life books do not included many (any?) EAS plugs.
I wasn’t aware of the innards of the program. That last set is where the money is for sure. The excessive “warm up” sets seems pointless though. And a complete training beginner doing supersets seems a bit much but at least the volume is fairly low compared to popular steroid-magazine workouts.
-Josh
13 d.a. // Mar 11, 2008 at 6:23 am
Another option for pre-workout fuel that might work with the plan: drink 8oz of soy (or almond, or regular) milk with a scoop of protein powder. That should give your body a bit to chew on, and help with muscle building.
14 Anne Keckler, Personal Trainer // Mar 11, 2008 at 6:41 am
I really should do a review of Body For Life one day soon. I need to read that book again. Thanks for reminding me.
I have to agree with the others here who are advising you to eat breakfast.
The theory behind exercising before breakfast is that your body will be forced to burn fat, rather than carbs, for fuel for that workout. But the difference, if any, will be very small (and instead your body may actually begin to break down muscle for fuel). The most important thing is that you are creating a caloric deficit overall.
You’re likely to get a better workout if you eat breakfast first, and that will result in more muscle, which ultimately will burn more calories and also make you look better.
You can pass out if your blood sugar gets below 55mg/dL. If your brain doesn’t get some glucose, your body will start to break down muscle for energy.
Finally, many people actually eat more after they have exercised on an empty stomach. They don’t even realize they’re doing this, so watch out for those extra calories you may be tempted to consume if you do choose to work out before breakfast.
Advising someone to exercise before breakfast in order to burn more fat is like telling them to exercise for long periods of time in the “fat burning zone.” There is some scientific truth to the idea, but there are better ways to achieve your goals.
15 asithi // Mar 11, 2008 at 6:56 am
Talking about unbalance strength, my dominant arm is my left hand. I bowl and play tennis with it. I use the same weight for both side. However, I rarely get to fatigue with my left arm. It is okay, right? Since I bowl twice a week, 3 games each, 10 frames = 60 reps if I make all strikes (I don’t). There is no real visible difference in terms of size, just strength. My husband, on the other hand, arm size is visible. We measured it once at .25″ larger on this right arm.
16 Jon // Mar 11, 2008 at 7:00 am
Yeah, stick with the weight your left side can handle. It’ll catch up quickly. For doing aerobic work, a heart rate monitor is a big help.
The idea behind exercising before eating breakfast (sometimes called “bonk training”) supposedly has some actual scientific studies behind it but I haven’t researched them. The idea is that your body has about 1000 kcals worth of glycogen stores. If you burn that off slowly enough, your body goes into fat-burning mode and can keep your blood sugar up. The key is slowly enough. The recommendation I’ve seen is 60-70% of your max heart rate for at least an hour. If you burn energy too quickly, your blood sugar drops and you encounter the dreaded “bonk”. You also need to watch your electrolytes. I regularly walk or ride for an hour or hour and a half at 65-75% MHR without eating first and don’t have any drop in energy.
Dr. Jen from The Biggest Loser has a blog entry discussing eating or not before exercise. I think the bottom line is that if it’s intense exercise (weights or cardio training) you’ll need food for fuel. But if you work slower (light cardio), you’ll burn more fat if you exercise with an empty stomach.
If I were J.D. and following that program, I’d eat something like a banana or oatmeal before the weight training days but on the aerobic days I’d wait until after training to eat. The 20 minute aerobic sessions might be too intense though, so I’d bring a bottle of OJ or Gatorade. But I think they’re short enough that it won’t matter, but it would probably be good to drink something like that afterwards.
17 Jon // Mar 11, 2008 at 7:23 am
I should also add, that if I were J.D., I wouldn’t obsess over skipping breakfast to burn more fat. He’s got what, 20 or 30 pounds to lose? Ok. Maybe a little more. Those will be gone soon enough if he keeps up the exercise and doesn’t offset it with cheeseburgers. Then it will just be about fitness not weight loss.
18 Scott // Mar 11, 2008 at 11:55 am
Hey JD. I’ve been a big fan of get rich slowly, and I followed this get fit slowly a little off and on.
I think Body For Life is an excellent program. The book is so motivational, but I think you might be better served starting with a little easier program. So, I recommend Body For Life for Motivation. However, I recommend the workouts of other programs first.
What do I recommend for beginners?
8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way to Shed up to 2 Pounds a Week Guaranteed By Jorge Cruise
It’s an easy program, and gets you started. By beginner, I mean people who have not exercised in a long time and people who have not built up the daily habit of exercise.
Then, After you’ve done a one to three cycles of that workout, I suggest:
The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life
I like the workout and I think its easy to do again. Simple and effective.
Then, After you’ve done that, then I recommend the Body For Life exercise or something more.
I look forward to your progress.
19 Aaron // Mar 11, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I don’t want to throw yet another piece of advice on the pile, but I personally find that I get good results from eating before and after a workout.
I have found that I perform better during exercise (i.e.: I feel I can lift more weight and do my cardio without feeling like I’m going to break down), and that my recovery from exercise is shorter and easier when I supply the right kind of fuel. So I make sure I’ve had a decent carb source (something with fiber and a low GI score) sometime before my workout, and then immediately after I exercise I have a high GI carb (Gatorade or something) and a protein shake (with BCAAs).
I am steadily losing about 1-1.5 pounds a week in this manner. Resistance training helps you burn fat by giving you more muscle mass to support, not by burning calories directly during the workout.
Congrats on getting started with your program! Just stay at it consistently and the results will start to add up fast!
20 AB // Mar 11, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I prefer not to eat before working out unless it’s going to be a run that takes more than an hour. Then I eat something light and small like fruit and a slice of toast and I wait at least an hour to run.
As for controlling the hungries afterwards, I’ve found that a half glass (maybe 6oz) of low fat chocolate milk works wonders. The protein/carb ratio satisfies my immediate need for sustenance without feeling too heavy. Then I have a bowl of oatmeal or toast with a banana or other fruit about an hour to two hours later.
Congrats on getting started, it sounds like you’ve got a good program there. The mix of cardio and weights sounds good. Enjoy the rowing.
21 E. Joy Oostendarp // Mar 12, 2008 at 3:35 am
Hey! Congrats on starting a new lifestyle! I started over 5 years ago and have kept off the weight for 3 years now. It can be done! 2 Suggestions:
1) You might like Ezekiel Bread. It’s made from sprouted grains rather than flour. Makes it really filling (especially for such small slices) and also super healthy for you! Find it in the freezer of the health section of your grocery store or health food store.
2) Get a good pair of gloves for the rowing machine! Those blisters can be discouraging if you don’t
Keep up the great work!
22 monica // Mar 12, 2008 at 5:18 am
Hi JD - good job getting started! Keep it up, but be flexible. BFL is pretty extreme, mostly on the food front. I followed a modified version of this program (vegetarian, no protein shakes, and 5 meals/day) and found the weights to be most beneficial. But the food part is just not practical for day to day life… so don’t get hung up on it. Do you really wanna be one of those mega-muscleheads, anyway?? (I don’t know, maybe you do! =)
I’ve learned now to eat 3 meals with 2 snacks in between and that works very well for me (he’s right - eating more meals gives you more energy!). Anyway, best of luck and I look forward to reading about how it goes.
23 Brigid // Mar 12, 2008 at 6:41 am
Hi JD - Great job on day one! I’ve done the BFL program several times. Through the years, I’ve retained many of the habits I picked up through the program. Although I don’t follow the book to the letter, I still eat more protein than I used to, drink more water and work out five days a week. If you can follow this program to the best of your ability for 12 weeks, you’re going to walk away with some healthy habits.
I wouldn’t obsess over what other people claim to be right or wrong. You know your body - just listen to it. Ask yourself if it’s the best you can do. If it is - you are doing things perfectly.
Now for the rowing machine… I crewed for several years and I wince when I see people using the rowing machine (refered to as “ergs” by rowers) in ways it wasn’t intended. If you’ve rowed before - cool. If you haven’t, see if you can find an experienced rower to help you with your form. If nothing else, check out http://www.concept2.com/us/training/start/howtorow.asp. There’s nothing like some personal coaching, but online instruction works in a pinch. Rowing is a very precision sport and bad form will hurt you. I suffered a pinched nerve in my L5 resulting in permanent nerve damage in my left leg and much of this was due to my form. Once I recovered, I got some better instruction, corrected my form and enjoyed rowing again injury free.
Congrats and keep up the great work!!
24 AbileneBlues // Mar 12, 2008 at 4:24 pm
JD, Good job. Keep it up.
On the workout before breakfast. Do whatever feels right for your body. I always work out before breakfast. I’ve seen info arguing both sides of the fasted workout issue. I’ve done it both ways and I just feel better doing it before I eat.
In the long run, you have to do what you can keep doing.
25 Kate // Mar 14, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Congrats on starting BFL. I’ve used it several times, very successfully.
FWIW - one modification that I’ve made is to work out at whatever time of day fits my schedule best. I know the BFL die-hards swear by morning workouts - but sometimes I start work at 6 am, and there’s no way I’m going to the gym before that!!
I was in the best shape of my life when I ate clean, and worked out in the evening after work. The point is: do the workout, and if you can’t make a morning one day — do it later!
Good luck, JD! Keep us posted!
26 Tony // Mar 25, 2008 at 11:37 am
I’m not going to pile on about the eating before lifting thing… I always eat prior to working out and am currently 209 lbs, 8% BF. I’d pass out if I didn’t eat before hand…
That being said:
“Body for Life recommends working out, and then waiting an hour before eating. ”
When you leave the gym, you’re in a catabolic state, and eating within 20-30 minutes is key. Typically, I have a protein shake w/ waxy maize starch roughly 10 minutes after I leave the gym. Followed by a meal an hour later.
Finally, I was happy to see EAS no longer being pushed, as they’ve been pretty irrelevant in terms of providing good supps for at least a decade now.
Good Luck!
27 Kym // Apr 3, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Great outline of the program, JD! You have inspired me to try it out as well (progress will be posted on my blog). Keep up the good work, both in writing and in fitness!
28 The magic of thinking small - Smart Spending // Apr 14, 2008 at 4:52 am
[…] recently started a weight-training program. I’d never really lifted weights before, so it’s like learning a new language. Plus I’m weak. I […]
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