Stacey and I officially started the Warp Speed Fat Loss program today. We packed all our meals and snacks for the day on Sunday evening. Although the meals are fairly low carb throughout the week, Monday was our higher carb day due to the intense training in the evening.

We were both amazed that the meals were so filling, as they looked as though we would be starving in between meals after seeing it on paper. I’m sure some of the other days will be tougher as they will have less carbs. Also, we will need to make some adjustments this week to make sure we are following the correct meal plan according to our size and goals. We may be consuming too many calories.

Today’s strength workout was definitely a bit different than what I had been doing the last few weeks, but it was good. There are three strength workouts per week combined with heavy circuits and intervals (Mon, Wed, Fri) and there are three high intensity interval training sessions combined with steady-state moderate/high aerobic training (Tues, Thurs, Sat). This is Monday’s workout for the duration of the program – CLICK ME!

Starting with heavy squats definitely made some of the other exercises more painful, as our legs were feeling like Jello halfway through the first circuit. It went fairly well throughout, and we were both sweating. There is a learning curve with some of the exercises, but by the time we repeat this workout, we should be on our A-game. The good thing is that we only have to repeat this workout three more times. And now we are down to 27 days.

Tomorrow is a high intensity interval training day combined with some moderate/high intensity steady-state aerobic training to help burn up some fat. We also have a normal carb day which means less carbs than today, but it shouldn’t be too bad as protein is kept high along with plenty of healthy fats.

I’ll post how things progress in the next few days.

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I mentioned Warp Speed Fat Loss in a previous blog. The program is designed to strip as much fat as possible from the body in 28 days following an intense training program and a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, healthy diet. During a test drive of the program, people lost 10, 15 and even 20lbs in 28 days.

Prior to the release of the program, a contest was held to give three people a chance to win the program for FREE! I entered the program and encouraged Stacey to do so as well since I thought this would be good for her.

Although more than 90 people signed up for the contest, Stacey and I were selected as one of the three winners! We were very excited…and very scared (it’s going to be tough)!

We embark on the program beginning Monday, and it will be no joke. I’ll be doing the program with Stacey to help her with the workouts and to encourage her and help her stay consistent. I won’t be cutting my calories as much since I don’t want (or need) to lose much weight. However, one of my goals is to be at single-digit bodyfat, so I will use the Warp Speed Fat Loss program to achieve that goal within the 28-day period.

Stacey will be using the program to get a jump start on her fat loss and get her closer to her goal. She hopes to lose 15-20lbs during the program, which will take a lot of work both physically and mentally along with consistency with the eating plan.

Wish us luck! We’ll be reporting back in about a month with our results along with some before and after photos.

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Many times, we wonder what could have been different if we had chosen a different path or method of doing something. Since I can’t do that, I figure these tips may help someone who is new to training and living a healthy lifestyle. These tips could save you years of struggling or becoming frustrated with lack of progress.

If I could go back and change the way I did things concerning training, eating and overall health and fitness, here are the things I would have done differently:

1) Train with more people that were bigger and stronger than me (I did this several times when I was in the first few years of training and made great progress. But I didn’t do this enough!).

2) Eat more protein with every meal and eat a lot more fruits and veggies and eat only starchy carbs from good sources and at certain times of the day (breakfast and post-workout have worked best for me).

I made the mistake of eating way too many carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta) in my quest to bulk up several times in the early days. I ended up just getting fat.

3) Focus on getting stronger on all the basic lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, rows, chins) while using less volume and more intensity.

4) Not forgetting to include some sort of short, intense cardio a couple times per week in the form of intervals, GPP, bodyweight circuits, complexes or circuits even when trying to bulk up or get stronger.

5) Change set/reps every 4-8 weeks so my body didn’t get stale.

6) Only use food supplements like protein powders and post-workout drinks along with basic stuff like fish oil caps and ZMA.

I’ve wasted plenty of money on things that didn’t make an ounce of a difference. But food supplements have always been useful for calorie and protein needs.

7) Not bulking up – the times I tried to bulk were the times where I felt like crap and looked like crap and gained too much fat. Bulking doesn’t work for most people.

Keep a training log. I only started doing this consistently in 2005.

9) Not trying every “fad” program that came out or promised slabs of muscle and keeping my focus on the basic stuff.

10) Taking more scheduled breaks every 8-12 weeks for rest and recovery and to keep my motivation high.

11) I would have played sports when I was younger – I only played football when I was in the 5th grade. I should have played more sports throughout school or at least joined the wrestling team, track team or weightlifting team during high school.

Since I was always small and weak, I would have been much better off competing in a certain weight class. I only joined the weightlifting team during my senior year of high school. That’s when I became interested in lifting. But I did a lot of stuff wrong for a few years after that.

12) I would have started seriously lifting before I was 18. Since I didn’t play sports and didn’t seriously begin lifting weights until I had graduated high school and began college, I feel that I missed out on making more gains.

When the health and fitness bug hit me when I was 14, I focused on eating better and just doing some bodyweight stuff and playing neighborhood sports with other kids from 14-18. I missed out on using those years to lift seriously and make some good strength/hypertrophy gains.

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Bill Hartman wrote a great article in the May issue of Men’s Health magazine titled “The Six Habits For A Six-Pack.”

Although the article is geared toward those looking to get lean with the goal of showing off their abs, the overall tips are good for anyone looking to lose fat.

Here are a summary of the six habits:

1) Wake up to water – Drink at least 16 ounces of chilled water as soon as you rise in the morning. German scientists found that doing this boosts metabolism by 24 percent for the 90 minutes afterward. Also, don’t forget to consume about one gallon of water throughout the day for optimal results.

2) Eat breakfast every day – A University of Massachusetts study showed that men who skip breakfast are 4 1/2 times more likely to have higher bodyfat than those who don’t. Try to have a meal with 250-500 calories for breakfast for optimal results.

3) As you eat, review your goals – University of Iowa scientists found that people who monitored their diet and exercise goals most frequently were more likely to achieve them than were goal setters who rarely reviewed their objectives.

4) Then, pack your lunch – This habit should be as much a part of your morning ritual as showering. Here is what Hartman recommends you pack in your cooler:

• An apple (to eat as a morning snack)
• Two pieces of cheese (to eat with the apple)
• A 500- to 600-caoloire portion of leftovers (for your lunch)
• A protein shake or a pint of milk (for your afternoon snack)

5) Exercise the right way – Rather than spending time on isolation exercises or ab crunches, focus your training around weightlifting and high intensity interval training. A recent University of Southern Maine study showed that half an hour of weight training burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-per-mile pace for the same duration (and it has the added benefit of helping you build muscle – which burns more fat and elevates your metabolism). Unlike aerobic exercise, lifting has been shown to boost metabolism for at least 39 hours after the last repetition. Similar findings have been noted for intervals (short, all-out sprints interspersed with periods of rest).

For the best results, perform a total-body weight training workout three days per week, resting at least a day between sessions. Then, perform interval training on the days in between.

6) Skip the late shows – You need sleep to get lean because a lack of shut-eye may disrupt the hormones that control your body’s ability to burn fat. A University of Chicago study showed that just three nights of poor sleep may cause your muscle cells to become resistant to the hormone insulin. Over time, this leads to fat storage around the stomach.

Put these six habits into practice today to help you reach your goals!

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The Warp Speed Fat Loss training plan will be released on Tuesday. In the meantime, you can try the first workout for free by going here – CLICK ME!

Download the PDF file and give this workout a try this weekend. This is not a beginner’s training program, so I highly recommend this workout to those who have trained with free weights for at least one year and know how to perform the exercises listed.

If you want to jump start your fat loss, then the Warp Speed Fat Loss program may be just the program for you!

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