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I have been very pleased with recent developments
regarding weight and fitness. Cutting back on evening calories and
maintaining both weightlifting and cardio regimens has resulted in
a loss of about 7-8 pounds with increased muscle mass and tone.
Sadly, my genetics don't allow for muscle growth even when
challenging them in the gym, but the higher level of weight being
lifted has kept up metabolism and led to a higher level of
fitness.
I decided to break out of the standard program
that I had developed for myself and followed for six years. My
body was getting used to the pattern of full-body workouts where I
would alternate muscle groups within one workout. In
addition, I may have been sabotaging some of my own gains in
muscle mass with a rigorous cardio regimen through an hour of
basketball every day. The intense cardio can sometimes lead to the
muscles feeling on themselves, so while I was burning fat and
keeping weight steady, I was also running on a treadmill where
gaining muscle mass is concerned. I needed a way to break this
cycle.
Along came the July issue of Muscle &
Fitness Magazine. The magazine is devoted more to hardcore
bodybuilders, but it contained Month One of the Rock Hard
Challenge, where a specific pair of muscle groups are worked on a
four-day per week lifting schedule. On off days or after lifting
sessions, cardio sessions would follow where you try to reach 70%
of your heart rate maximum. The lifting sessions follow a
carefully documented log, which you would keep as part of their
competition. Once you have month one done, you send in your log
along with your before and after pics. Do the same for month two,
and after month three, you are eligible to win $2,500. So I
thought: "what do I have to lose?"
I started working on month one after returning
from the beach with the kids. I have been faithful to the log, but
the diet has been harder to keep to on a religious basis. I know
what the calorie, fat, and carb contents are for most foods, so I
have been trying to consume six small meals as I go through my day
and keep up with a protein shake before and after lifting
sessions. These add on the calories, but with the increased load
on the muscles, they need food to help repair and grow. Reducing
carbs and sweets is the most important method of weight management
for me. So, month one is done, and I started month two today. The
lifting program can be seen in a PDF file at the Muscle &
Fitness website. At right you can see some of the moves that I put
to use on a typical "Delts, Calves, and Abs" day (Day 3 of the
program followed over four weeks). The challenge is to load up
slightly more weight than what you did the last time you did that
day. If you achieve that higher weight level, you should see
progress in decreased body fat and increased muscle mass. At the
end of September, the challenge is over, but I will have
"broken through to the next level," as Muscle &
Fitness puts it.
Cardio has been a little more challenging for two
reasons: I am teaching at a different school this summer, and we
start earlier. so I had to skip basketball for the first week.
Another basketball crew was formed at my summer school, and they
started running at 6:00 AM so we could still get in a number of
games totaling 90 minutes of play. I knew going in I could make a
good first impression and not be the geek on the court, an image I
had to fight when playing with my original crew. Too bad I could
only hit one shot during my first two games out of about fifteen
attempts. Successive games have proven better in terms of
percentage of shots made successfully. On defense, I was able to
contribute to wins for my team. But winning in basketball for me
is a secondary goal. Moving continuously for sixty to ninety
minutes is why I am there since it is my primary method of cardio.
I am looking forward to returning to my regular school and playing
with my standard crew in August.
Last Sunday led to me an excellent round of
Ultimate Frisbee in Frederick's Baker Park. I had already lifted
for the day and put in twenty minutes of basketball practice in
the driveway. I found a crew of almost twenty twenty-somethings
who play from 7:00 to 11:00 PM every Wednesday and Sunday. I got
in on the first and second game and proved myself worthy to those
who run the game that they want me on their team. Numerous
assists, scores, blocks, and interceptions showed them that in spite
of my age, I can still run with the best of them. I had a certain
glee when I was able to say to one of them that I had been playing
Ultimate before he was even thought of.
It's always good to place fitness goals in the
future so you have something to work for. As I start a new school
year, I'll be joining familiar colleagues and meeting new
students. I am hoping people who know me will see a fitter,
thinner George. New friends will see someone who works hard in all
areas of life: fitness, friendship, family, and fun.
Stay healthy,
George
georgecassutto@hotmail.com
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Working lower abs with a weighted crunch. I put
a strap around my feet and did 3 sets of 15 reps.
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