Our Weight Loss Journey

Hey everyone! Well its been sometime since I updated my blog. I have been working on my other blog http://manofchrist.wordpress.com/ and have not had much time to work on my health blog. I hope everyone is doing well.

I am at the end of Week 7 of my 16 week week journey. This past week was pretty challenging for me especially with my schedule. The routine that I followed this week is called the the 300 Spartan Work Out. It consist of 10 exercise routines. With each routine I need to complete 30 reps which comes out to 300 Reps. I pro formed this routine on Mon, Wed, and Fri.

The 300 Spartan Work Out consisted of the following routines:

• Jump Squat
• Staggered Push-Ups
• Alternating Split Jump
• Explosive Push-ups
• Prison Squat
• Hindu Push-ups
• Kneeling Band Row
• Burpees
• Pull-Ups
• Double Crunch

You can check out the video below to see how each exercise is done.

300 Routine

I try to do as much Cardio as I can. This past week I did  Cardio on Tues, Thurs, and Sat. On Tuesday I did the P90X Cardio X Dvd, Thursday I did the P90X Plyometrics DVD and on Saturday I did the famous Ta-boe Abs DVD.  I always try to change my exercise routine on a weekly basis in order to consantly shock my body. So far it has been working.

On January 23,2008 my journey began. I was about 200lbs and had a size 38 waist.  24 weeks later I am now at 172 lbs and my waist size is down to 30-31.  I was able to accomplish this by changing my eating habits and incorporating exercise into my lifestyle.  Please keep in mind that my diet is not perfect and I am constantly making adjustments. Its all trial and error, but if you are consistant  regardless of how many times you may fall you will be able to do it.

God Bless Everyone,

Jason

I can’t believe I am already at the end of week 5. This weeks workout was kinda of difficult. It consisted of the following:

Stability Ball Push-ups (with feet on ball)

Resistance Band Squat and Press

Standing Bent Over Pull-down with Band

Hamstring Curl with Stability Ball

Kneeling Tricep Pressdown

Bicep Curl with Bands

Ball Transfer

Superman

I start week 6 tomorrow and I very much looking forward to it. I have to admit that this pass week has been pretty challenging. My calorie intake has increased , but I think that is due to the intensity of my workout. Unlike the first time I did the 16 week challenge in the beginning I did not have all the equipment necessary nor did I incorporate much cardio until toward the end of my 16 week challenge. This time around I started to incorporate more cardio which includes the following:

Running

P90X Cardio DVD

Tae-bo

As you can see I try to mix it up. I am constantly trying to find new ways to shock the body. I have found that by doing this I am seeing consistent progress with my weight-loss. Try changing your cardio rountine every week of every 2 weeks to see how it works for you.

Later and Again God Bless,

Jason

Well guys I am now in week 4 of my 2nd 16 week challenge. Its been a bit more intense then my 1st 16 week challenge and thats good thing. During my 1st challenge I really was not too sure in what I was doing, but I did not let that deter me from achieving my goal. To be honest when I started my 1st challenge and realize that I had to incorporate resistance bands to my workout I hesitate to continue the challenge. Like most people I was accustomed to free/machine weights. At this point I had nothing to lose. Sometimes the only way you can learn is by being put in the fire. At times we may feel that something may not work and will not try it. This is exactly how I was feeling at the time, but I forced myself to do with no regrets.

Incorporating resistance bands into your workout will improve your routine. I have increase strength and gained muscle. In regards to gaining muscle that depends on the level of resistance of your bands. I am currently using the Terrell Owens Bodylastic super strong man edition that provides up to 127 pounds of resistance on each side. I have found that resistance is resistance and your muscles can not determine the difference between free weights and bands. The resistance bands that I use have adjustable clips and I can have multiple bands attach to one handle as you can see from the picture below.

I am not trying say that you should only use resistance bands for your workout. The following is what I use in my routine:

• Terrell Owen Bodylastic Resistance Bands
• Exercise Ball
• DoorGym (used to doing pull-ups)
• E-Z curl bar and Adjustable dumbbells

This is all I use and it works well in a one bedroom apartment plus it saved me a lot of money.

Jason

Hey everyone,

I just completed week 3 of my 16 week cycle. I pro form a different workout routine every week. All exercises are done in supersets. Below is the workout video for week 3 .

The exercises that are pro formed in the video are:

1. Squat with Bodylastic Resistance Bands
2. Standing Chest Press with Bands
3. Stationary Lunge
4. Standing Rows
5. Shoulder Press
6. Bicep Curl
7. Standing Rotations
8. Hip Thrusts

The 3rd Week Of My 16 Week Journey To Six Pack Abs - March 5 - video powered by Metacafe

Hey Everyone,

I realize that not everyone has the time to go outside to go jogging, biking or running. There are definitely other alternatives. Especially if it is very difficult to make the time to do your cardio or if your are just on a tight budget. I also recommend keeping a exercise journal nothing fancy just a notebook. This will help you keep track of your progress and it also encourages you on those days you do feel like working out.

The following is a list alternatives to jogging:

• Jump-Rope
• Stationary Bike (Check Wal-Mart Bikes under $100)
• Aerobic Dvds (Amazon always has great deals)
• Running in Place
• Treadmill
• Step Workout

One of my favorite alternatives are the Billy Blanks Tae-Bo Dvds. Check out the clip below.