Finally, an updated pic!

It's been exactly one year since my last pic for this blog and I decided there's no better time than now, especially since I turned 45 years of age last September. My weight is 183 at a height of 5'9 and I estimate my bodyfat to be at 8%. I am healthier and more fit than any other stage of my life and I am so happy with that aspect. My energy levels are very high, my attitude is always positive and spiritually I feel I am headed in the right direction, my walk with Christ.
I have a goal of getting to the gym six mornings per week but five is satisfactory. I don't beat myself up too badly if I miss an extra day here and there.
The ONLY thing I need to change is to consume a bit more food. I very rarely drink protein drinks. I mainly eat three solid meals per day and a mid afternoon snack of almonds with a cup of coffee. I do find myself frequently awakening between 3-4 AM completely famished. All I have at that point is a tablespoon of peanut butter and a glass of water and then I'm back to bed for a couple more hours of sleep. Most days I do not even consume 2000 calories! This has to change.
I am very blessed to be as healthy as I am in spite of my illness (type 1 diabetes). I feel so compelled to act responsibly toward eating right and exercising daily. I believe God expects this of me. Not only for the sake of my health, but also to be an inspiration to many.
PLEASE, PLEASE take responsibilty and make your health your top priority. It's not about adding years to your life My Friends. It's about adding life to your years.
My mantra is "Live Life Aggressively!"

Program using only Bodyweight Calisthenics

As many of my longtime blog readers know, I am a huge fan of simply training with bodyweight exercises. Lunges, squats, pushups, dips, pullups to name a few. These are great either by themselves or adding them as "finishers" to your normal weight training workout.

Due to my traveling schedule as well as the cold weather (not a motivation to head to the gym early in the morning!) I Have been training with bodyweight exercises almost exclusively, with minimal dumbell-work thrown in.

I believe that whatever you're using, high volume work builds muscle even in the case of bodyweight exercises. For instance, today's workout comprised 250 bodyweight or hindu squats, 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups. Instead of training to muscle failure each set I performed 10 sets of 25 squats, 5 pull-ups and 10 push-ups all back-to-back in a "tri-set."
I performed 25 squats immediately jump onto the pull-up bar and crank out 5 pull-ups and immediately afterwards perform 10 inclined push-ups with my feet elevated on a bench (approx. 14" off the ground). At the completion of each set I would rest only 20 seconds and repeat. The entire worjout was completed in less than 17 minutes and I was not only sweating prefusely but I was short of breath for 20 minutes afterwards. This happened to be a great cardio workout at the same time.
Yesterday I performed the same number of reps overall but in less sets....I performed 5 sets of 50 squats, 10 pull-ups and 20 push-ups. Again it took me 15 minutes to complete and again it had the same effect.

I happen to love this style of training and I do believe my body (and physique) is responding very well. It is intense and brief but very thorough as these three exercises work every muscle in my body and with the brief rest between sets I am working both systems in my body (aerobic and anaerobic). Imagine getting lean with only 15-20 minutes per day, 6 days per week and it can be done ANYWHERE, even in a hotel room! NO EXCUSES PEOPLE, 15 minutes everyday (along with following a healthy diet at least 80% of the time, in my case 95%!). (In a hotel room I perform pull-ups on the bathroom doorway, I simply lay a folded on top of the door for the sake of my hands).

Twice per week I plan on performing 5 supersets of dumbell calf raises with side lateral raises at the end of my normal workout. Two other times per week I will add dumbell bicep curls with close-grip "diamond" push-ups to thoroughly train my arms.

I will post new pics on my blog in the next couple of weeks.

A highly recommended reference source (an inexpensive e-book) is found on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Effortless-Exercise-System-Men-ebook/dp/B005HB8PFO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327603203&sr=1-1

AND:

http://www.amazon.com/JACKED-Workout-Secrets-Revealed-ebook/dp/B005NWRK6C/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327603203&sr=1-4

A lifetime in Fitness, what have I learned?

I have spent my entire life as a fitness enthusiast, first as a wrestler, then as a bodybuilder, nationally-ranked powerlifter and for 22 years as a Personal Trainer.
After this many years, what have I learned???

WORK OUTS:
1) You must be consistent! There's no such thing as hit-and miss workouts. I workout 5 days per week every week of the year......during holidays, during business travel, during vacations. The ONLY time I take time off is when I am very ill (influenza or stomach virus).
2) Have a goal, develop a plan! You must have a goal in mind of you will not have the discipline to follow-through. Develop a plan around your goal and EXECUTE. There is no tomorrow! Begin your plan today!
3) Variety is key! Everyone grows mentally stale from the same old routine. Even with me boredom kicks in. I change my workouts every two months to maintain high levels of enthusiasm. You must add variety. After several months of weight training, try something new, try P90X!

DIET:
1) Do not count calories! This is useless and very unscientific. It is "so eighties!" Instead of calories, count your daily consumption of carbohydrates!
2) Macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat) are the most important factor in losing weight.
Bar none, the very best way to lose weight is to reduce your consumption of carbohydrates. In place of carbohydrates increase your consumption of lean sources of protein and add healthy fats (nuts, avacados).
3) Pay attention to the Glycemic Index (google "glycemic index"). This is the most effective way to make sure you are eating the right forms of carbohydrates (fruits instead of starches).
4) IF IT'S WHITE, IT AINT RIGHT! (stay away from white bread, rice, pasta, sugar!)

WEIGHT LOSS:
Step away form the scale! Instead measure your weight loss with a measuring tape and the mirror! What matters most is not how much actual weight you've lost (since this will flucuate so often due to fluids, menstrual cycles, etc.), but how your clothes fit. If your clothes fit looser then you are a success!

QUESTIONS?
EMAIL ME: ktaylor966@yahoo.com

STEVE REEVES

Steve Reeves was a world champion bodybuilder (and well paid film star!) from the 40's and to this day he is well known as having the most proportional, most symmetrical physique of all time. He neck, biceps and calves were exactly the same measurement and his shoulder girth, chest and waist differentials were perpectly proportionate. And look at those thighs! Everything was near perfect. In my opinion this is the ideal physique.

Unlike bodybuilding routines of today, Steve always trained 3 non-consecutive days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri) and worked his entire body on those three days. His routine would begin with shoulders, the chest, back, triceps, biceps, thighs, calves, lower back and finally abs. His workouts were typical 2-3 hours in length! He only consumed three square meals per day!

Boy is that unlike workouts and diets of today! If you are interested in books written by him or DVD's of films he starred in, go to:

http://www.stevereeves.com/

Beginning in January, 2012 I plan to train according to his 3-day per week plan, though my workout length will NOT exceed 1 hour.

New Workout Update....after 10 days, time for a change!

Great workout programs don't last for ever. Your body becomes accustomed to whatever you're doing and like your mind, your body needs changes in variation and constant stimulation to reduce boredom.
In my case, this routine I had resumed only 10 days ago (which I previously had success with!) is causing my progress to not only wane, its causing some joint pain. Not good!
My body needs stimulation and thrives on super-intense workouts, but I am also in need of recuperation. Therefore I am planning on changing my program to one that stimulates but doesn't annihilate, and allows for adequate recovery.

Day1: Chest, Triceps, Light calves (seated calf raises-only)
Day2: Upper Back, Shoulders (no presses, only lateral raises & shrugs), Biceps
Day3: Legs, Heavy Calves

I will perform this on a 5-day rotation. My workout days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (Thursdays and Sundays are completely OFF). The routine looks like this:

Week 1:
Mon: Chest, Triceps
Tues: Back, Delts, Biceps
Wed: Legs
Fri: Chest, Triceps
Sat: Back, Delts, Biceps

Week 2:
Mon: Legs
Tues: Chest, Triceps
Wed: Back, Delts, Biceps
Fri: Legs
Sat: Chest, Triceps

Week 3:
Mon: Back, Delts, Biceps
Tues: Legs
Wed: Chest, Triceps
Fri: Back, Biceps, Delts
Sat: Legs

And so on and so on. Three exercises for large bodyparts, two exercises for smaller bodyparts
Sets will be 3-4 per exercise. Minimum reps are 8, max for upper body 12-14, min for legs are 10, max are 30!

GIVE THIS ROUTINE A TRY. If you need cardio perform it at the END of the routine for a maximum of 20 min. I myself am lean and don't need cardio as my rest periods between sets are very short.

WORKOUT UPDATE!!!

As my followers know I had been training my whole body almost everyday (5 times per week!) from April through October and making great gains. I remained very lean and my muscles became harder and more dense in appearance. I did noext to no cardio other than a few high intensity "ladders" a few times per week. My mainstay dietary regimen in high protein/ultra low card/moderate fat. This has been and will always be the way I eat due to my Type 1 diabetes. It suits me just fine as my blood glucose levels are so stable I am a "doctor's dream."

Due to mental burnout and feeling the need for more recuperation I halted this type of daily, whole body training in early October and trained a basic upper body/lower body split four days per week for the past month (Mon: Upper body, Tuesday: Legs & 15 min. cardio, Wed: OFF. Thursday: Upper Body, Friday: OFF, Saturday: Legs, cardio for 30 min on stationary bike). This workout worked well for me for the past month and as of today I RETURNED to my whole body, 5 day per week cycle. I will continue this until #1) I see my gains stalling and I get weaker, OR #2) I feel mental burnout again.

TODAY'S WORKOUT (Mon, Oct. 31):
A1)Incline Bench Press: 185 lbs for 3 x 8-8-6 ... .supersetted with...
A2)V-Bar Lat Pulldowns: 140 lbs for 3 x 12 ... .rest 45 sec, repeat
B1)Pushups on medicine ball: BW for 3 x 12...supersetted with...
B2)Seated Side Lateral raises: 20 lbs for 3 sets of 12....supersetted with..
B3)DB Shrugs: 55 lbs for 3 sets of 15...rest 45 sec, repeat
C1)Straight bar curls: 70 lbs for 3 sets of 12, supersetted with...
C2)Tricep Pushdowns: 130 lbs for 3 sets of 10, rest 30 sec, repeat
D1)Smith Machine calf raise: 195 lbs for 3 sets of 15...supersetted with...
D2)Angled Leg Press: 5 plates ea side for 3 sets of 15, rest 75 sec, repeat
E1)Ab Wheel Roll outs: 3 sets of 15, supersetted with...
E2)Lying Leg Curls: 90 lbs for 3 sets of 8 reps, rest 30 sec and repeat

BOY! Training at this pace, who needs cardio! I was in a constant state on oxygen debt. Since I train in the morning with nothing on my stomach other than black coffee and soem N-O Explode (by BSN nutrition).... this stokes my metabolism into pure fat burning mode. Recuperation tip: Immediately after my final set of my final exercise I drink 10 grams of powdered BCAA's (I use BSN's brand)...as this is the ideal "window or opportunity" for soaking up nutrients. About 20 min. later I blend 50 grams of whey isolate protein with 1 cup of frozen mixed berrries (and 10 grams of powdered fiber supplement).
Try my workout routine (exercises change everyday but # of sets stays the same, AND NO CARDIO NEEDED!) and try my meal and supplement regimen. IT WORKS!

New training plan in the works...

For the past several months I have been training very unconventionally and making great gains. I have been training each bodypart, every workout an average of 5 days per week! Only exposing the bodyparts to 3 tough sets each; I feel will not lead to overtraining. It actually gives the muscles hardness and more density. This plan is counter to anything I have ever read in magazines, periodicals or on the internet. Every exercise guru stresses recovery, always allow the muscles, joints, ligaments adequate recuperation between workouts, etc. At 45 years of age a program like this is not supposed to work!
I hit the gym hard, supersetting everything, every single workout. I average 7 hours sleep each night during the week and maybe 9 hours on Saturday nights. I consume 175-190 grams of protein per day. I eat clean. Basically I do everything fairly right. I do have a high carb day once per week, usually Saturdays.
Anyway, my work schedule is about to change, allowing me weekends off and more time to train and get adequate rest. Within the next two weeks I plan to return to a more balanced, mainstream workout and provide myself a break.

I will train with a conventional bodypart split averaging 5-6 days per week. I will consume a wee bit more protein and I will average 8 hours sleep per night. I will try out some new pre- and post- workout supplements as well. I will keep you posted of my workout changes and progress.