Day 168: Less is … the same

Day 168 - front

Day 168 – front

Weight: 137.0 lbs.
Workout C: 26 minutes, 19 seconds; next: Workout C, Feb. 18
Total inches: 124.0
Protein: 134 g (5 g over target)
Calories: 2,322

One of the keys to Project Bulk is frequency and duration of workouts. Author Tim Ferriss refers to this as Minimum Effective Dose in “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon |iTunes aff. links].

I lift weights about an hour and 13 minutes a week total, split over Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. For the month, that’s about 5 hours.

I could exercise more, but the challenge is to build muscles with as little effort and time as possible. I could exercise less, which is what I did in October and November using different exercises. Those months resulted in higher body fat compared to muscle gain than I preferred.

Researchers at nearby University of Alabama at Birmingham studied exercise dosage with 72 women age 60 to 74. Split into three groups, they exercised by weightlifting and either jogging or cycling for 4 months. Group A did one of each a week, or two workouts; group B did two of each, or four workouts; and group C did three of each, or six workouts.

“The women working out twice a week had become as powerful and aerobically fit as those who had worked out six times a week.”

The study appears in this month’s Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

As you exercise to gain strength and endurance, to tone your body or to lose weight, you should ask yourself what the right dosage of exercise is. Can you gain more with less?

Day 168 - side

Day 168 – side

Day 162: Where does it end?

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Day 162 - front

Day 162 – front

Weight: 137.0 lbs.
No workout today; next: Workout C, Feb. 11
Total inches: 124.3
Protein: 140 g (11 g over target)
Calories: 2,305

Project Bulk started as a 30-day plan to see if I could gain muscles and weight, having been stuck in the 120s for my adult life. Now nearing 6 months, I ask myself again: Where does it end?

For dieters, it ends at either a lower number or in frustration. I thought I might stop after adding 10 pounds of muscle. At this point, I’m just about there.

Chart: Lean mass, through Feb. 9

So many questions, without ready answers …

Do I keep doing what I’ve been doing?
If I stop, how quickly will I regress to that 120-pound blandness?
What should my maintenance workout schedule be?
Should I keep up the protein consumption, meaning a shake a day plus lots of meat?
Keep taking daily photos? Recording weekly numbers?
What does success look like?

It may take a while to figure out.

Day 161 - side

Day 161 – side

Day 154: 5 months and counting

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Day 154 - front

Weight: 136.2 lbs.
Workout C: 13 minutes, 58 seconds; next: Workout C, Feb. 4
Total inches: 123.1
Protein: 129 g (0 g over target)
Calories: 2,350

The first 5 months have gone well. I am adding one more exercise for February, but let’s look at the numbers first.

Measurement	Sept. 1	Feb. 1	Change
Weight (pounds)	121.8	136.2	+14.4
Body fat percentage	23.5	25.5 [Jan. 2]	+2.0 percentage pts.
Fat weight	28.6	34.7	+6.1
Lean weight	93.2	101.5	+8.3
Total inches	113.6	123.1	+9.6

weight 2-1-13

Weight through Feb. 1

My weight continues to climb since the drop in November.

Exercise	Start*	Feb. 1	Change
Kettlebell swing	32 x 20 lbs.	50/25 x 40 lbs.	+100.0 percent
Myotatic crunch	6.5 x 2.5 lbs.	6.0 x 10 lbs.	+300.0 percent
Single-arm kettlebell swing	25 x 15 lbs.	12/9 x 30 lbs.	+100.0 percent
Isolateral dumbbell incline bench press	2.4/3.0 x 30 lbs.	4.3/5.0 x 30 lbs.	0 percent
Yates row	7.0 x 55 lbs.	3.0 x 125 lbs.	+127.3 percent
Reverse drag curls	6.0 x 25 lbs.	4.0 x 45 lbs.	+80.0 percent

*I started these exercises on different dates.

I am seeing some improvement in my lifting, especially in the isolateral dumbbell incline bench press. When I reached 30 pounds for that exercise, I thought I would never budge that dumbbell an inch. I get three attempts each week, and I have slowly added to my reps.

Maybe by month’s end, I’ll graduate to the next size dumbbell.

workout time - 2-1-13

My workout time is holding steady: around 3 hours and 30 minutes for the month.

My calorie intake is on the money. I’m shooting for 2,300 to 2,400 a day, and my daily average for January was 2,335 calories.

The project has cost me $282.88 so far. I saved $68.88 in food in January compared to previous monthly averages.

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

I’d like to see my stomach better defined. Six pack? Yes, please.

To that end, I’m adding the cat vomit exercise back into the rotation on Mondays and Fridays, on top of kettlebell swings and myotatic crunches. Let’s see if eight times a month will improve that area.

Why should my arms and neck and sides have all the fun?

Day 154 - side

Day 1 vs. Day 154 – front
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Day 1 vs. Day 154 – side
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Day 147: Off-days

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Day 147 - front

Weight: 137.0 lbs.
Workout C: 8 minutes, 43 seconds; next: Workout C, Jan. 28
Total inches: 124.5
Protein: 136 g (7 g over target)
Calories: 2,311

This month is a typical month. “Typical” meaning January is like December, the only 2 months of the kettlebell-heavy routine.

I work out three times a week, about 13 times a month, for about 16 minutes each time or three-and-a-half hours total in a month. But what do I do on the 17 or 18 days off?

Ideally, walk or do yoga. In reality, very little of either.

I have made Project Bulk a priority, sticking rigidly to exercise schedules. And while I maintain my photos and diet every day, I have not made too much effort to move otherwise.

I am consumed by project work, which leaves me little time to walk the neighborhood or pop in the yoga DVD. Or, at least, it’s a good enough excuse.

Originally, I didn’t want to skew the numbers with additional exercise, but I feel confident that the current workouts are, well, working out. So walking would just be for fun and fresh air, with a few calories burned to boot. Yoga would be to help with breathing, flexibility and focus.

Late at night, I am content to slow down, settle in, not move. As long as I swing the kettlebell 150 times a week, I’m set.

Day 147 - side

Day 140: The end of snack time

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Day 140 - front

Weight: 135.8 lbs.
Workout C: 13 minutes, 29 seconds; next: Workout C, Jan. 21
Total inches: 123.4
Protein: 128 g (0 g over target)
Calories: 2,347

My diet has changed in interesting ways since Project Bulk began.

Up until my food crisis in 2007, I ate for convenience. I microwaved a lot and ate fast food. Post-food crisis, I wiped almost all processed food, working to eat better and cook more.

Neither affected my weight, my outlook, my energy or my body, as far as I could tell. I did notice that the few times I eat fast food, it made me a little queasy.

Because I now count calories and protein intake, I tend to stick to the easiest pattern possible. Most days, that’s a protein shake and either oatmeal with raisins or eggs and waffles for breakfast. I usually skip lunch. Dinner is whatever I can eat to hit the daily minimums as closely as possible.

What’s gone is snacking.

For 6 years, I followed a simple directive. Eat when hungry. If my body says eat, I eat. That led to snacking throughout the day: trail mix, peanuts, cereal, cheese, instant oatmeal. I would go through all of these staples quickly, so I kept plenty on hand at home and at the office.

This pattern worked. Instead of two or three big meals, I had six or seven snacks throughout the day. The most important goal was to keep my blood sugar at the right level so I could stay sharp.

Now, with a big breakfast, I’m simply not hungry till late in the day. No hunger, no snacking. Plus, I don’t want to measure out snacks every time to track the numbers. A jar of peanuts lasts and lasts and lasts. It’s protein- and calorie-rich, so I don’t need to screw up dinner later on because I’m too close to the “limit.”

Someday, I may go back to my carefree routine: Eat whenever and never measure. But I’m content with the numbers and their results, even if it means the end of snack time.

Day 140 - side

Day 133: Hands and arms

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Day 133 - front

Weight: 134.2 lbs.
Workout C: 8 minutes, 16 seconds; next: Workout C, Jan. 14
Total inches: 123.0
Protein: 132 g (5 g over target)
Calories: 2,315

I’m pleased when I notice changes in my physique. I’m doubly pleased when others notice it.

My arms are bulkier than ever. My tape measurements fool me because I measure the middle of the upper arm, but the real change has been at the top. I can see it more easily in side view photos than in the front view.

Others have noticed my shoulders are broader and my neck is thicker. So my torso is starting to shape up nicely.

Meanwhile, my hands are taking a beating during these kettlebell and lifting sessions. I have callouses where palm and fingers meet.

The simple solution will be to pick up some cheap weightlifting gloves on my next shopping trip. They’ll help me with a better no-slip grip while protecting my hands.

Funny how hobbies and gadgets end up with accumulations of gear. With my iPhones, it’s cables and car chargers and cases and apps. With Project Bulk, it’s been protein powder and BodPod tests and replacement tennis shoes.

It’s all worth it for the praise from others and from within.

Day 133 - side

Day 124: The year that was

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Day 124

Weight: 134.2 lbs.
Workout D: 25 minutes, 45 seconds; next: Workout C, Jan. 4
Total inches: 122.6
Protein: 127 g (0 g over target)
Calories: 2,316

New year, latest results.

I had a good readout from this morning’s BodPod session.

Measurement	Sept. 1	Jan. 2	Change
Weight (pounds)	121.8	134.2	+12.4
Body fat percentage	23.5	25.5	+2.0 percentage pts.
Fat weight	28.6	34.2	+5.6
Lean weight	93.2	100.0	+6.8
Total inches	113.6	122.6	+9.0

My body fat was 23.5 percent in September, 24.5 percent in October, 26.8 percent in November … but dropped to 25.5 percent today. That’s still not a great number, but I’m now moving in the right direction: more lean, less fat.

weight jan. 2

Weight through Jan. 2

My weight is up slightly for December.

My workout changed in December to kettlebell swings primarily. The sessions are typically shorter and more frequent.

Exercise	Start*	Jan. 2	Change
Kettlebell swing	32 x 20 lbs.	55/20 x 40 lbs.	+100.0 percent
Myotatic crunch	6.5 x 2.5 lbs.	2.0 x 10 lbs.	+300.0 percent
Single-arm kettlebell swing	25 x 15 lbs.	25 x 20 lbs.	+33.3 percent
Isolateral dumbbell incline bench press	2.4/3.0 x 30 lbs.	3.3/3.3 x 30 lbs.	0 percent
Yates row	7.0 x 55 lbs.	4.4 x 125 lbs.	+127.3 percent
Reverse drag curls	6.0 x 25 lbs.	6.0 x 35 lbs.	+40.0 percent

*I started these exercises on different dates.

workout time 2012

My workout time in September was close to 3 hours, 45 minutes. In October and November, it was around 1 hour, 30 minutes. In December, it was back up to 3 hours, 30 minutes.

I have maintained a 2,300-calorie minimum for the last 2 weeks. This seems optimal, so I’ll continue to eat between 2,300 and 2,400 each day through June.

The project has cost me $342.11 so far. The cost went up in December with a new jar of protein powder and more dining out for the holidays.

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

So 2012 ended well. I hit a good weight, my body fat dropped slightly, I started a new workout, and I found a good calorie range to maintain.

For the first 6 months of 2013, I am going to:

Continue with my current workouts, emphasizing kettlebell swings;
Continue with 2,300 to 2,400 calories a day;
Continue with 127 g of protein a day, adjusting up as needed;
Continue with daily photos;
Continue with weekly blog posts;
Drop from daily measurement of weight and total inches to weekly.

As you see, the only real change is cutting back on the morning routine of scale and tape measure. It’ll save a few minutes each day.

The daily look at weights and total inches wasn’t helping or hurting me. I haven’t needed the reinforcement to stick to the routine, and the trends will be borne out by the numbers every Friday.

Project Bulk has transformed from a short-term project into potentially a yearlong lifestyle switch. I am excited about what 2013 will bring.

Day 1 vs. Day 124 – front
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Day 1 vs. Day 119 – side
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Day 119: An involuntary precision

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Day 119 - front

Weight: 133.6 lbs.
Workout C: 15 minutes, 15 seconds; next: Workout C, Dec. 24
Total inches: 122.1
Protein: 128 g (2 g over target)
Calories: 2,310

I sometimes still surprise myself.

What has surprised me the most, 4 months in on Project Bulk, is my meticulousness around all aspects of this project. I know what I’ve spent, to the penny. I weigh myself first thing each morning, then wrap the tape measure around various limbs.

I calculate and recalculate what to eat to hit my calorie targets. If I’m bothered by any one aspect, it’s that my form on lifting and curls isn’t great. I bet if I were in front of a wall mirror, I could pinpoint where I need to improve my movement.

Such precision probably isn’t needed to accomplish my simple goal of gaining muscle. It’s just part of who I am. It’s what I do in blogging, in training, in measuring, in project work. It gives me clearer direction in what’s working and what isn’t.

I can be bigger. I don’t think I can ever be less precise.

Day 119 - side

Day 112: Beyond bulking

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Day 112 - front

Weight: 133.6 lbs.
Workout C: 15 minutes, 15 seconds; next: Workout C, Dec. 24
Total inches: 123.1
Protein: 126 g (0 g over target)
Calories: 2,382

Don’t ask me about Project Bulk when you see me. Because it’s hard to get me to shut up.

I’ll talk your ear off about weighing food and learning how to lift watching YouTube. I really do enjoy talking about my body.

Of course, not everyone is interested in packing on the pounds. Some would rather drop pounds and inches.

I should point out that my manual, “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links], isn’t just about how to gain weight and muscle. It has a lot of information on losing weight, improving sex, sleeping less, healing faster and more. You can judge for yourself whether it works or not, as I am doing.

(As I mentioned earlier, two friends already decided to get their own copies.)

If anything, it’s a fun read, whether you jump in head first like me or are simply interested in modern science and the body.

I’ve included the Table of Contents below. You can read the opening chapter, “Thinner, Bigger, Faster, Stronger? How to Use This Book” on author Tim Ferriss’ site.

And if Santa brings you a new Kindle, iPad or other e-reader — or even an iTunes or Amazon gift card — please consider using my Amazon and iTunes affiliate links to grab “The 4-Hour Body.”

(Also, if you love reading on Kindle, all of my blogs, including this one, are now available on a subscription basis through Amazon for just 99 cents a month.)

Merry Christmas, and happy reading!

•

Full chapter list from the Table of Contents
for “The 4-Hour Body”

Start Here

Thinner, Bigger, Faster, Stronger? How to Use This Book

Fundamentals – First and Foremost

The Minimum Effective Dose: From Microwaves to Fat-loss
Rules That Change the Rules: Everything Popular Is Wrong

Ground Zero-Getting Started and Swaraj

The Harajuku Moment: The Decision to Become a Complete Human
Elusive Bodyfat: Where Are You Really?
From Photos to Fear: Making Failure Impossible

Subtracting Fat: Basics

The Slow-Carb Diet I: How to Lose 20 Pounds in 30 Days Without Exercise
The Slow-Carb Diet II: The Finer Points and Common Questions
Damage Control: Preventing Fat Gain When You Binge
The Four Horsemen of Fat-Loss

Subtracting Fat: Advanced

Ice Age: Mastering Temperature to Manipulate Weight
The Glucose Switch: Beautiful Number 100
The Last Mile: Losing the Final 5-10 Pounds

Adding Muscle

Building the Perfect Posterior (or Losing 100+ Pounds)
Six-Minute Abs: Two Exercises That Actually Work
From Geek to Freak: How to Gain 34 Pounds in 28 Days
Occam’s Protocol I: A Minimalist Approach to Mass
Occam’s Protocol II: The Finer Points

Improving Sex

The 15-Minute Female Orgasm-Part Un
The 15-Minute Female Orgasm-Part Deux
Sex Machine I: Adventures in Tripling Testosterone
Happy Endings and Doubling Sperm Count

Perfecting Sleep

Engineering the Perfect Night’s Sleep
Becoming Uberman: Sleeping Less with Polyphasic Sleep

Reversing Injuries

Reversing “Permanent” Injuries
How to Pay for a Beach Vacation with One Hospital Visit
Pre-Hab: Injury-Proofing the Body

Running Faster and Farther

Hacking the NFL Combine I: Preliminaries—Jumping Higher
Hacking the NFL Combine II: Running Faster
Ultraendurance I: Going from 5K to 50K in 12 Weeks—Phase I
Ultraendurance II: Going from 5K to 50K in 12 Weeks—Phase II

Getting Stronger

Effortless Superhuman: Breaking World Records with Barry Ross
Eating the Elephant: How to Add 100 Pounds to Your Bench Press

From Swimming to Swinging

How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days
The Architecture of Babe Ruth
How to Hold Your Breath Longer Than Houdini

On Longer and Better Life

Living Forever: Vaccines, Bleeding, and Other Fun

Closing Thoughts

Closing Thoughts: The Trojan Horse

Appendices and Extras

Helpful Measurements and Conversions
Getting Tested—From Nutrients to Muscle Fibers
Muscles of the Body
The Value of Self-Experimentation
Spotting Bad Science 101: How Not to Trick Yourself
Spotting Bad Science 102: So You Have a Pill …
The Slow-Carb Diet—194 People
Sex Machine II: Details and Dangers
The Meatless Machine I: Reasons to Try a Plant-Based Diet for Two Weeks
The Meatless Machine II: A 28-Day Experiment

Bonus Material

Spot Reduction Revisited: Removing Stubborn Thigh Fat
Becoming Brad Pitt: Uses and Abuses of DNA
The China Study: A Well-Intentioned Critique
Heavy Metal: Your Personal Toxin Map
The Top 10 Reasons Why BMI Is Bogus
Hyperclocking and Related Mischief: How to Increase Strength 10% in One Workout
Creativity on Demand: The Promises and Dangers of Smart Drugs
An Alternative to Dieting: The Bodyfat Set Point and Tricking the Hypothalamus

Day 112 - side

Day 105: Eat like it’s your job

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Day 105 - front

Weight: 133.2 lbs.
Workout C: 11 minutes, 40 seconds; next: Workout C, Dec. 17
Total inches: 122.4
Protein: 126 g (0 g over target)
Calories: 2,261

After 2 weeks of 2,200-calorie days, the next step is simple: 2,300-calorie days.

Surprisingly, my weight has remained stable the last 6 weeks, when I’d prefer it go up. And, of course, with more lean pounds than fat pounds.

A recap:

Days 1-14: no calorie counting, no weight gain;
Days 15-30: calorie counting, but no target, resulting in steady weight gain;
Days 31-61: 2,500 calories a day, resulting in steady weight gain;
Days 62-76: 2,000 calories a day, no weight gain;
Days 77-91: 2,100 calories a day, no weight gain;
Days 92-105: 2,200 calories a day, no weight gain.

The target protein has been a minimum of 122 g to 126 g a day, with the overall average being 136.6 g to date.

The sweet spot would be gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously. It might be happening now, but I won’t know until I check my body fat percentage again, perhaps in 2 weeks.

It will not be difficult to ramp up calories again. Having already done a month at 2,500 calories, these small tweaks are really nothing. I just didn’t realize that the range of calories I consumed these last 6 weeks would have no effect on my overall weight.

My job continues to be to eat sufficient protein and calories every day. So far, it has been a minor hassle in accounting but enjoyable nonetheless.

Day 105 - side