Hard-Core 10 Week Effective Fat Loss and Fitness Program

  Essentially, the diet and program I have designed is suitable for most people of average fitness, although some might experience a lot more initial muscle soreness and stiffness than others.

What is required here is depth of commitment and refusal to quit for an initial eight to ten week period. Thats eight - ten weeks without compromise.

Of these eight weeks, the first three weeks are definitely the most important in that they will establish the pace, set the standards and will contribute disproportionately to the overall results you will achieve. The final three weeks will be stabilisation, tweaking and fine tuning.

I strongly suggest the following to kick off, in order to give you a starting point.

I suggest that you go obtain a body fat analysis from someone who knows how to make a very accurate body fat measurement utilizing calipers, the only true way in my opinion to obtain consistently accurate results.  This way we have an accurate body fat percentage as a starting point from which to move forwards from.

I'm going to suggest (read insist) that we begin with an eating program that is almost entirely inflexible for at least the first three weeks.  For the first three weeks you don't get the luxury of cheating even once, which all things being equal and based on experience, should kick your body into a "fat cascading" event-[which I have to reluctantly inform you] is normally always preceded by a first week to 10 days of almost no measurable results in a desirable direction.  At the end of week two, however, the results are normally reassuringly positive, and you might even feel like smiling.  But it is in week three that a measurable pattern is established which can often be projected quite accurately forwards.  If you're up to it, I suggest that you hang in for a full four weeks on your initial program without breaking your diet with your first "day off".

The initial three-four week inflexibility on diet versus exercise serves several purposes.

1.First of all, from a preparation standpoint it enables you to purchase all the stuff that you need, and day by day, before retiring for the night, preparing for the following days culinary delights.  [NOT!]

2.  Once we have established a foundational bias of caloric intake versus physical output, we can tweak specifics on the program up and down and ascertain the direct benefits or deficits of these changes in comparison to the established foundation.  Trust me-it works-I've done this a couple of times for athletes in the past.

3.  When introducing an additional supplements or additives, we can immediately see [within a week] the effect that supplement [such as fat burners etc.] is having.

The basic shopping list of items which you will require is as follows.

2 x cases Meerlust Red and 12 x 350g bars of milk chocolate [for rewards!].

…. just kidding, no such luck pal….. seriously now..

The preparation of your food each night before the following day is as equally important from a disciplinary perspective as are your workouts.  Correct preparation will facilitate a smooth transition into your new eating habits- so don't skimp on this.

Your diet for the next 10 weeks will predominantly consist of inordinate amounts of high-quality protein in supplement form [it is almost impossible to ingest sufficient protein from normal food sources-unless of course you're going to dedicate a lot more time to eating-so supplemented protein it is].  We are going to cut all of the starchy carbohydrates out and further limit the non-starchy fibrous carbohydrates to reduce our overall carbohydrate intake to negligible amounts, so your energy requirements will be principally met with the supplementation of large quantities of essential fatty acids [EFA’s], and your requirement of fiber for healthy  digestion will also be in the form of fiber supplements.  [It's either that or constipation]

If this strikes you as unnatural, bear in mind that to lose large quantities of fat whilst still preserving lean muscle mass is equally unnatural from a metabolic/physiological perspective.  Your body does not like to lose fat, and will often sacrifice lean mass instead.

For protein, a good rule of thumb is to ensure that you ingest 1 g of protein for every pound of body weight.  If we're going to aim at getting 170 g of protein into your system, that works out to 8 cans of tuna; 23 glasses of milk; or 35 eggs The majority of your protein, therefore, will be in the form of a high quality whey protein isolate, with an evening supplement of casein protein, which digests a lot slower and reduces the catabolic breakdown of muscle in the long periods between meals whilst sleeping.  If that seems like a lot, think about this: you're carrying about 50,000 different protein containing compounds around right now in your skin, hair, blood, bone, cartilage, hormones, antibodies, enzymes, and finally muscle.  However, regarding intake,  that's still a lot of protein, so you need to keep your water intake relatively high to alleviate any unnecessary strain on your kidneys - although I have never really experienced any problems in this regard, some people do complain of sore kidneys when trying to sleep at night on very high protein diets. 

You might possibly experience a little hunger just before going to bed at night, although this is not always the case, and I suspect much of it is psychosomatic.  But do bear the following in mind;

The sweet stuff and sugar is a thing of the past for the next 10 weeks-barring a one-day cheat at the end of weeks 4 through 10, this contingent on progress and results.  Get over it.

Please take the time to read through my previous notes on "progressively better eating habits"-paying attention relative to fiber and artificial sweeteners.  Ingraining the basics will assist you in making informed decisions when crossing into the many gray areas you will encounter over the next few weeks.

Okay guys, I'm not asking you to attempt anything that I have not successfully completed myself several times over the last decade.  No pain, no brain [or something like that], may your results exceed your most optimistic expectations.

Purchases

You're going to need the following:

Optimum Nutrition whey protein.

Casein protein.  [To ingest one hour before retiring for the night]

Bokomo Oats.                     Too many other brands contain sugar and additives.

Lots of EFA's             either Crede, or Dischem 3,6&9, or Udo’s.

                                    I use Crede or Dischem, Udo’s is best but too pricey.

Lots of tunafish in brine,( or many chicken breasts.)

                                                            Tuna fish is still the best option though.

Calcium Pyruvate  Available Dischem under Metablex label [which comes with free apple cider vinegar capsules-three with breakfast

When fatty acids are broken down they need to be fed into an energy cycle for a complete break down so that more can be broken down later. The beginning of this cycle is called the citric acid cycle. Fats enter the citric acid cycle as a 2-carbon molecule called acetate and to start off this cycle it needs to bind to another 2-carbon molecule called oxaloacetate. Without enough oxaloacetate this cycle cannot proceed. With little oxaloacetate this cycle is slowed down, thus fat burning is slowed down. Where does oxaloacetate come from? Several sources, but the main one is from pyruvate.

Vitamin C. I supplemented with two to 3 g of vitamin C. per day.  It is a strong antioxidant.

Taurine.  A little-known secret, taurine not only assists with the rapid breakdown of fat for energy, it also helps to prevent cramps often associated with loss of potassium and magnesium.  Ongoing replenishment of electrolyte is important, but even loading up on magnesium and potassium sometimes fails to stave off those muscle cramps in the middle of the night.  Supplementing with taurine seems to work a treat.

Proanthocyanidins.  Either from grape seed extract or picnoginol, a pine bark extract.  I found the cheapest source of the highest concentration of proanthocyanidins is by adding a teaspoon of cold pressed grape seed oil to my shake in the mornings and mid-afternoon.

Oregano-based foods. Oregano is perhaps one of the most potent antioxidants around, and I supplemented with oregano oil capsules from the health store.

Supplement your fibre by taking fibre capsules or mixing fibre seed in your protein shakes.(Superseed is a very good option)

ECA(ephedrine, caffeine, aspirin stack) -I can get this for you for weeks five through ten to accelerate the fat loss. Ephedrine also serves to blunt carbohydrate  cravings and helps to suppress appetite. I recommend "Ignite" if you can find it.  As products containing ephedrine are not commercially available in South Africa, if you are unable to find any, alternatively you can get conventionally available “Hot-Rox” or slightly cheaper “Hydroxy-Cut Hardcore”.  Ignite is definitely the best of the three.

Alpha Lipoic Acid - from Solal at Dischem.aids in fat management and blood sugar, and an excellent antioxidant

Trimethylglyceine - antioxidant, helps move fat and blood lipids into the liver and out of the body. 500mg, 2x day. This is a great supplement and also prevent you feeling "liverish" if you're prone to this.

Vitamin E  Palm Fruit oil is natures highest source of vit.E. Also very rich in carotene but    high in calories, so use a teaspoon of it in one of your shakes.

Chromium Polynicotinate           available from Solal at Dischem.  One 3 times per day.

CLA         (any brand) , Evox is normally the cheapest, and you want to have 3 capsules with every main meal, that is, nine capsules per day.  This step is very  Important in maintaining muscle mass whilst dumping fat.

  ‘GABA’ [Gamma-Aminobutiric Acid]  - a natural HGH Activator.

No Energade, Gatorade, or fizzy drinks at all.  Just water, lots and lots of water-no exceptions whatsoever [unless it's your day off].

Cheats and Treats

                                 There are not too many of these, but you can cheat on 250g lean Game or Ostrich biltong mid afternoon if you are suffering. Once in a while cheat with lean biltong is not too onerous.

                     Okay, down to business.  Pick a day in the near future, preferably not a Monday- psychologically you have probably broken a great deal of Monday resolutions if you're anything like me- so kick off on a Tuesday instead.

Purchase all of the stuff you require, and sit down for an hour with a pen and paper, and plan your coming week.  Psyche yourself up and get ready.

Exercise

We are aiming at a six-day training week.

Regarding exercise, for this particular phase the emphasis will be on intense aerobic workouts, with a focus on interval training as opposed to endurance.  Maintaining and improving skeletal muscle mass will be restricted to circuit training. 

For all 10 - 12 weeks, every second day  (during the six day work-out week) will include a 12 minute sprint cycle after your circuit training to finish off, so you will need a stopwatch. 

As the primary goal here is to lose fat, after completing your workout, for best results you need to wait 40 minutes before ingesting any food, [but not longer than this - we are trying to hit a critical window period here] and this I recommend should be in the form of a protein shake as a recovery meal. 

You will burn off almost equivalent calories in this 40 minutes than in the prior workout session.  Your recovery shake must include a relatively high glycemic index carbohydrate IE-it can be mixed with a fruit juice, or supplemented with a date ball. 

[I personally recommend a small handful of Goji berries here, as they are established as containing highest content of antioxidants found in nature, vital for scrubbing all those free radical DNA chains released by the intense exercise and fat breakdown - available at health stores.] 

This high glycemic index carbohydrate helps to facilitate the rapid transportation of nutrients into the depleted cells, including the protein - and is about the only high glycemic index carbohydrate that you're going to get for a little while.  People, you cannot beat the Goji berries for a "double whammy" benefit here.

Sprint Cycles

The sprint cycles can be completed either on the treadmill or on a stationary bike.  The stationary bike is most definitely the easier option, so maybe wait until about a week four before upping the ante considerably by migrating to the treadmill.  Make no mistake-if done properly-Sprint cycles are f miserable, and personally I detest them, but they sure are hellaciously effective. So every second day after finishing the super circuit you will find yourself doing the following;

Start with a two minute warm up at a sedentory pace-walking or cycling.

Then sprint for 30 seconds as if your life depended on it.  [This should be so violent that you actually experience an injection of adrenaline.]

Sedentory pace for 30 seconds and then [you guessed it]

Sprint for one minute as if your life depended on it.

Sedentory pace  for one minute

  Sprint for 90 seconds.

Sedentory pace for 90 seconds

Sprint for one minute

Sedentory pace for one minute.

Sprint for 30 seconds.

Two minute sedentory pace warmdown.

If you're not feeling ever so slightly nauseous, you did not hammer it hard enough.

Trust me, you are going to find it a little challenging to look forward to these, but the results are phenomenal, and it does get easier [although I have had people tell me that this is nonsense, saying it never does get to feel any easier].

Week One

Because of the intense interval aspect, the first week will be spent with a single super circuit, setting our target at 18 repetitions for all stations, including the stairs between every station [I call them happy stairs-that way there is something nice about them-other than that, they really suck!]

[Plus Sprint cycles etc. etc. as discussed above.]

Week Two

Increase the repetitions on each of the super circuit stations to 25 reps per station.

Add a 90 minute spinning class to your routine on your  Saturday morning .

Week Three

Introduce abdominal workouts on alternative days

On days when you are not doing the Sprint cycles alternate by including a full 25 minutes abdominal workout, in turn alternating these stomach workouts between bulking the abdominal muscles and strengthening the core abdominals with Pilates type concentration crunches.

Week Four

Adapt the Sprint cycles as follows;

Start with a two minute warm up at a sedentory pace-walking or cycling.

Then sprint for 30 seconds

Sedentory pace for 30 seconds and then

Sprint for one minute as if your life depended on it.

Sedentory pace  for one minute

  Sprint for 90 seconds.

Sedentory pace for 90 seconds

Sprint for one additional 90 second stage.  [You are initially going to struggle with this]

Sedentory pace for 90 seconds.

Sprint for one minute

Sedentory pace for one minute.

Sprint for 30 seconds.

Two minute sedentory pace warmdown.

Week Five   Upping the ante…

Consider beginning a 21 day ECA stack here to accelerate fat metabolism.  I recommend "Ignite" if you can find it, alternatively you can get conventionally available “Hot-Rox” or slightly cheaper “Hydroxy-Cut Hardcore”. 

Consider doing your Sprint cycles now on the treadmill.  It is a lot more difficult-so you need to monitor your self-be careful not to over train.

Increase the weight per station on the super circuit by approximately 20%.

Week Six

Identical to week five.

Week Seven

On alternative days [when not doing Sprint cycles], increase super circuit to two complete circuits.  [This can be really tough at first]

Final three weeks of program;

Almost there now, so include a couple of final tweaks. Cut out all dairy products absolutely, and I recommend at this stage to begin a 21 day cycle of clenbuterol to drop an additional 1% to 2% bodyfat whilst preserving your lean mass.  Clenbuterol works like magic the first time out, and was originally on the market for people suffering with asthma, subsequently banned for humans because of its exceptionally long half-life [36 hours!]  It is not conventionally available, so you might have to ask around [hint-you could try a vet, or failing that, a professional bodybuilder.]

Week Eight

Add another 10% to the weights on each of the stations of the super circuit.

Week Nine and Ten

Repeat week eight

After completing week 10, we can evaluate the overall progress, take body fat measurements, photographs etc. and celebrate.  You'll quite comfortably be able to take a full two weeks off your diet program without experiencing any discernible negative results.

Eating Program

Although there are one or two variables to this eating program, they can by design be only few and far between.  It can be a little difficult getting used to the monotony initially, however, it gets the point for you actually begin to look forward with anticipation to any particular upcoming meal, and given an option would probably elect to stay with the monotonous constant anyway.  When I was preparing to have photographs taken for my book, I ate EXACTLY the same thing every single day barring one exception in 12 weeks.  I completed it with only one off day [for Valentine's Day-and it was only for supper] and the diet was considerably more stringent than this one.  Depending on your progress, from the end of week four  onwards you get one-day off where you can eat whatever you like without any restrictions. 

This is one hell of a bonus.

I am making the assumption here that most people climbing on this program will be doing your workouts in the evenings.  Fat loss programs do however work best if you jumpstart your metabolism by exercising early in the morning-but I know this can be a difficult call for people who begin work early.

 If you are going to do your exercises in the morning, then on waking have one scoop of Optimum Nutrition whey protein in 500 mlof water to halt muscular catabolic breakdown. 

Early morning aerobic workouts are better when you can accommodate them into your schedule.

Breakfast

2 X scoops Optimum Nutrition whey protein mixed with 35ml-50 ml EFA oil blended with 500ml of water.  [Use a blender-it makes things much more pleasant]

Option.  For two of your breakfasts during weeks one to four, you can substitute the following- start with half a cup of, oats mixed with 1 cup of 2 types of chopped fruit [peach plus pear for example]

Mid- Morning     do not skip this meal

2 X scoops Optimum Nutrition whey protein mixed with 35ml EFA oil blended with 500ml of water.

Lunch

2 x Grilled chicken breasts or fillet of fish -  with a salad.  Salad should be relatively small, consist of spinach leaves as opposed to lettuce leaves [difficult to digest], avoid tomatoes where possible, and restrict olives to no more than three.

An alternative-large Tuna salad consisting of one and a half tins of tuna mixed with one and a half tablespoons of Hellmann's light mayonnaise, stirred together with a quarter cup of bean sprouts, quarter tomato and a couple of spinach leaves.  Add pepper to taste.

Mid Afternoon

2 X scoops Optimum Nutrition whey protein [mixed with  no oil] blended with 500ml of water.

Supper

Grilled steak, fish or chicken breast with a small helping of steamed broccoli and steamed cauliflower [the combined helping of vegetable should equal about the size of your fist.] Sprouts are an additional option, but not more than six.

At least one and a half hours after supper, have 5 g of GABA, to stimulate natural hormonal lean mass support.

Before retiring at night, have a casein protein shake [but not within 30 minutes of swallowing the above-mentioned GABA].

Remember-your recovery meal(immediately after your workout and consisting of a protein shake) is not necessarily included in the above if ingested between 40-60 minutes after completing your exercise routine.

Don't forget to take your three capsules of CLA with each of your three main meals.

Feel free to distribute this diet and exercise program to anybody that you feel could benefit from it, but I would appreciate it if you would keep my name attached. If you do have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me at:

sebastianp@iafrica.com

I would also be interested to hear of your progress, and see your results,

regards

Sebastian Paul Siebert.

You’ll soon find out why this routine is called “The Leg Killer”!

Week 1 - 3

Calves:

Quads:

Week 4 - "The Leg Killer"

Calves:

As above

Quads:

Pieter P
aka. Monster

Tips on food preperation!

With reference to the meal plan on the downloads page here are some pointers.

Changing your eating habits is a mindset. One has to think differently. It should start with the grocery list. Don't buy things that you should not be eating. READ LABELS!

Most spices contain sugar. Sugar is a big no, no! If you are wanting to spice things up use fresh herbs and spices e.g. ginger, lemon pepper. Lemon juice is also great to add flavour.

• Keep salt intake to a minimum, possibly even none.
• Choose green vegetables before the sweeter corn, butternut, carrots etc.
• Fat free dairy products off season only.

As far as cooking methods go - steam veges where possible keeping them crisp. This will retain much of the nutrients.

• Grill meat on a griller e.g. George Forman.
• In summer stir fry (use water to "fry" instead of oil) and salads are great. Add the weighed protein to either. In winter the same can be done with soup.

Breakfast

• Oats -  Just add boiling water, leave to stand for a minute and add fat free milk.
• Boiled Eggs - Boil eggs for 15min, peel, cut in half and discard the yolks.

Other Meals

Carbs

• Potato - Boil in a pot or microwave until soft.
• Brown / Basmati rice - As an alternative to potato . Boil rice in the microwave or in a pot. The microwave does not cook rice quicker.
• Vegetables - Steam.

Protein

• Chicken / fish / meat - Grill on a griller, in the oven or braai. Use lemon juice, pepper etc to add flavour.

Petra Gurney
Personal Trainer

My name is Warren Gurney. I work for Dimension Data as a Technical Consultant on Cisco Products and I’ve been a CCIE since 1997.

As a hobby I’ve been programming in VB for a few years. I started developing with ASP.NET 2.0 in March ’06 after purchasing Wrox - Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 .

I’ve since purchased Wrox - Professional ASP.NET 2.0 and use Google to find online development article sites like aspnet.4guysfromrolla.com to further learn ASP.NET. I’ve also been using AJAX and find the techniques very interesting.

I’ve recently added the Blog capabilities sourced from Jeremy Wadsworth's site. Awesome site check it out!

I've just launched this new brighter theme for 2007. Although a more sportier look the main enhancement is the Jello-Mold capabilities. Basically the page adjusts to your maximum screen size giving users with a high resolution setup more real estate.

In 2008 I've entered into the future with Microsofts new offering "Sliverlight". Here's a snippet of one of the many rich content features Silverlight has to offer.

Please feel free to blog your suggestions or comments.
  

Regards,

Warren

www.s2sa.com