6 day x 6 week gym plan

Monday – LEGS/CALVES

4x15 leg extensions with toes pointed

4x15 smith machine squats

4x15 shoulder-width leg presses

4x15 dumbbell wide squats (dumbbell chest height)

4x15 dumbbell narrow squats (dumbbells by sides)

6x15 seated (or standing) calf raises

Tuesday – CHEST/SHOULDERS/TRICEPS

4x15 incline dumbbell presses

4x15 standard push-ups

4x15 standing cable crossovers

4x15 side dumbbell lateral raises (upright)

4x15 shoulder width barbell front raises

4x10 seated dumbbell shoulder presses

4x15 rear dumbbell lateral raises (90°)

4x15 reverse-grip triceps pushdowns

4x15 standing triceps extension (2 hands, one dumbbell)

4x15 one-arm dumbbell skull crushers (15 then switch)

Wednesday – CARDIO (choose 2 classes)

12.15pm Top Ride

5.30pm Fight Do

6.15pm X55 Intense

7.15pm Zumba

Thursday – BACK/BICEPS

10.35am Mega Danz

4x15 wide grip pull downs

4x15 shoulder width reverse grip pull downs

4x15 one arm bent-over dumbbell rows

4x15 seated narrow grip cable rows

4x15 seated bent-over preacher curls

4x12 incline dumbbell curls

4x15 standing dumbbell curls

Friday – LEGS/BUTT/CALVES

4x15 leg curls

4x20 bodyweight swing lunges

4x15 straight leg dead lifts

4x15 reverse dumbbell lunges

4x15 pop squats

4x15 walking diagonal dumbbell lunges

4x15 butt machine

4x15 cable butt kickbacks

4x15 bodyweight hyperextensions

6x20 standing calf raises

Saturday – SPRINTS & CORE

20x30 secs sprints/30 secs rest (increasing speed each sprint)

5 core exercises x 3 rounds (different exercises each week)

the next step

I've been plodding along pretty consistently for a few weeks now (minus a couple of hiccups along the way) and I feel it's time to "up the ante" as they love to say on Aussie Idol. I'm thrilled with my results so far - kilos & centimetres lost and a new-found determination in place... but this has only made me realise that I have so much more I can improve on. My diet has been very lackadaisical (I've always wanted to use that word!) and I am FAR from working to my full potential at the gym. And so, it is time for the next chapter!


While I was away I stumbled across a "Fitness Rx" magazine and decided to buy it instead of one of my usual fashion magazines which only encourage me to spend money (that I definitely don't have right now!)... I figured this would at least have a positive impact on my life - I just didn't realise how much!


Now I haven't really mentioned it before, but I'm actually a qualified personal trainer (certificate 4 in fitness from the A.I.F. in 2005). I don't like to talk about it because firstly (and superficially), I know I haven't looked like a PT in the past, but mostly because I know my knowledge is SO limited (like a huge percentage of the fitness industry) and I want to practice what I preach before I go out and charge for my services. 


I always thought I'd need to do another course to get to the point of being comfortable enough to train others again, but my lightbulb moment this week was that the knowledge is out there for everyone to find if only you take the time to look for it. This magazine was teeming with information and inspiration that I'm already putting into practice and has whet my appetite for more knowledge and therefore a more efficient and direct way to achieve my goals.


Now sure, you can lose weight knowing next to nothing about health & fitness and that's great for those who manage to do it! But my argument is: why take 6 months (or 6 years as it is in my case) to achieve what could be done in 6 weeks? Once you decide you want something, work out what you need to do to achieve it and GET IT DONE. Like the old saying goes, "Don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today." - in other words, don't drag it out forever when you could be looking and feeling amazing really soon! I'm not saying it's easy. The 6 weeks will probably to be torturous at times, but you have to ask yourself - how badly do you want it? 'Cause if it ain't high on your priority list - trust me, I've lived it - it's never gonna happen!


So where is this rant leading? Well I discovered someone in this magazine who, in my opinion, has the ideal female body and - thank you Fitness Rx - the article about her includes her training program. Now this girl is an award winning fitness model so I am aiming VERY high on this one... But I figure why not? She has achieved/maintained her amazing body while studying medicine at college (as if those things aren't hard enough to do on their own) and I am currently unemployed with a gym membership - so really I have no one to blame but myself if I don't get results!


Saying all this, I have no idea how long it's going to take to get anywhere close to her physique (she has been seriously into fitness since she was 14) but to test my 6 month vs 6 week theory, I'm going to give it everything I've got for 6 weeks and see where I end up. I will be following a 6 day work/1 day rest gym program during that time and will create a diet plan based on diets like hers and other fitness models. To track results I will do my measurements, weight, body fat & photos once a week and will also be taking notes regarding my cardiovascular fitness and strength throughout the program.


I will post the exercise program and sample diet on here for reference - if you're unsure of what the exercises are, do a search for them on YouTube where you should be able to find a video tutorial. I look forward to sharing my results!


Please remember to consult a doctor and/or fitness professional if you intend to make any dramatic changes to your diet and/or exercise program.

a different kind of challenge

Wow - so a week has flown by since my results post and I have to say, it was a weird one. Flew back to Australia to stay with my grandparents so I could get to an audition. Usually the motivation exists up to the day of the audition (sometimes not even that long cuz I crack under the pressure!) and to make it even more difficult, there was the added challenge of sticking to my diet while travelling and faced with extra temptation and lack of my usual supplies (oh, and a grandmother who is border-line OVER hospitable when it comes to food!) ...so this was a scary trip!


The lead up to the audition was smoother than expected - I documented all my eating (even when it was a pain in my butt, trying to figure out the calorie content of aeroplane food and other stuff that I didn't prepare myself), resisted takeaway temptations and while I didn't quite stick to 1200 calories a day, it wasn't much above that most days (and my days were much longer than back at home anyway so I needed to compensate for that).


And then the audition came... and went... a hell of a lot quicker than expected! And I prepared myself for the emotional eating binge than generally, no, ALWAYS, follows a disappointment... but it never came. I have been loving waking up each morning looking and feeling better than the day before so much that I just wasn't prepared to give it all up for one bad day! I don't recognise this side of me and I'm starting to not recognise myself in the mirror either! I thought that as long as I didn't put on any weight while I was gone, that I'd be happy, but it seems there's a fire in my belly now (metaphorically AND physically!) that just won't settle for the old half-arsed attempt at reaching these goals. I'm all in and it feels GOOD!


Oh, and it may seem lame and superficial but it is true... Dealing with disappointment is so much easier when your base level of self-confidence is so much higher. There's just not as far to fall! Say what you want about needing to accept yourself for who you are... as far as I'm concerned, I'm only fixing the problems that I caused by treating my body badly in the past - and this is me just trying to achieve my full potential, not trying to change who I am as a whole. And that's enough ranting for tonight! I look forward to weighing in and measuring up tomorrow to see if I managed to achieve anything while away from the gym and outside of my diet comfort zone. Until then...

the results

The final measurements are as follows:


Chest: 88cm = 2cm loss
Waist: 66.5cm = 2.5cm loss
Navel: 71cm = 5cm loss
Hips: 93cm = 1cm loss
Thighs: 56cm = 1cm loss


*Although I didn't post the original measurements of my calves & arms, I lost 1cm & 1.5cm respectively from those too.


WEIGHT: 58.3kg = 1.5kg loss
BODY FAT: 23% = 5% loss = 3.5kg fat loss
LEAN MASS: 44.9kg = 1.9kg muscle gain

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

You may or may not be able to notice much of a difference, but keep in mind that this was only one week's work & I am far from done! I just think it's amazing that in this short amount of time I've managed to drop 5% body fat and increase my lean muscle mass by almost 2kg! Anyone that was cynical about the insane results the contestants from "The Biggest Loser" were getting should think again. As I've said before - it's simple mathematics! I look forward to sharing more results like this as I continue my journey. 'Til next time!

super challenge - day seven

A smooth end to a tough 7 days. Woke up barely able to walk - that conditioning circuit was tough but it wasn't 'til the next morning that I really felt it! Came sooo close to having a rest day and blowing off the gym but was determined not to waste my free trial. Proof I'm changing: I walked half an hour to the gym in the pouring rain and 12 degree temperatures while my body was already completely fatigued. The old Katherine would have stayed in for pizza and a movie.

Managed to push through 60 minutes on the cross trainer - new personal record! - as well as a few big walks during the day which must have helped flush out the lactic acid because I was feeling a lot better by the end of it all. Rewarded myself with an amazing burger from a place we found in the city but still only hit about 1300 calories for the day so it was a treat without being a blowout.

Feeling so much more toned and when I went to try on some clothes in a store I found that size 8's were fitting easily again and I felt good in basically everything I tried on. I'm not at my goal yet but I'm certainly getting closer. I have become so much more disciplined with my eating which is a battle I've been fighting for at least 6 years and this is the most consistent I've been with exercise for at least 18 months so things are looking good! 


That said - it's now crunch time. Usually it's a week or two into one of my health kicks when I'm starting to feel better about myself that I ease up on my rules and then before you know it, another week goes by and I undo all my hard work! Not gonna happen this time. I'm in it for the long run and while I'll never stop loving food (and chilling on the couch), I have learnt the importance of consistency and balance... No more "all or nothing" mentality. It's just not healthy.

Had a busy day today and didn't get a chance to do my final weigh in or photo. Will get on that tomorrow and post the results. Hopefully you'll be able to see the difference!

super challenge - day six

Gaining momentum again after the mid-week slump. Got started on my usual cross-trainer session then realised that a) I was bored b) I missed my old strength/conditioning training and c) for once the "gorilla pit" was dead quiet meaning I didn't have to feel too self-conscious while sweating it out amongst muscle-heads.


Smashed out a conditioning circuit (3 rounds of 6 strength exercises done at a fast pace with 60 seconds break between rounds) then threw in a few extra exercises for each body part to make sure I was properly fatigued - and punished for taking such a long break from that kind of training! It felt amazing... although I'm a little nervous about how sore I'm going be tomorrow.


Diet is going well - cooked some amazing chicken drumsticks for dinner (marinated in whole grain mustard, garlic & lemon juice & baked for 60 mins on 180c). Struggled with hunger after the workout today though and had a bit of a carb fest of plain basmati rice after I got home. Total calories came to about 1300 for the day. I figure as long as I'm eating the right foods and only when I'm hungry, I shouldn't be worried about going over 1200 - more important to listen to my body.


Tomorrow is day 7 and our last day of the gym trial... Better make it a good one! Putting it out there to the universe that we land some work pronto cuz I'm not keen on going back to my gym-less workouts (or lack thereof). Oh well - I'll worry about that when we come to it. Right now I'm just happy to have seen such great results in a really short period of time (and without starving myself or overdoing it at the gym). I'll post the photo montage tomorrow - it's definitely a visible difference! In the meantime: sleep.

super challenge - day five

A bit of an average day... Didn't get to the gym 'til the evening and realised that it is WAY too busy at that time. Had planned on doing a couple of classes after my 45 mins on the cross trainer but the line to get in was ridiculous! There was no way I was going to attempt a combat class when chances are I would kick someone in the head so day five consisted of the walk to/from the gym & 45mins cardio.


While I can definitely see the cardio working to help me drop fat, I've been feeling a bit soft because I haven't done any weight training. I always thought I'd be okay with getting thin without much muscle tone but realised that I don't feel myself without the muscle so it's back to balancing the cardio & strength.


PS Working out after that blow-out on Sunday was not fun. I was lethargic... sweating excessively - it was like having a carb hangover. Lesson learnt.