Long Overdue Update

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday – to be quite honest, I don’t know where to begin!

Yesterday I completed the first day of Final Phase Fat Loss, and it was a DOOZY.

I’m having a hard time deciding what to share and what not to share, considering this is a paid program.  And to be honest, the whole program is the workouts themselves.  So I don’t think it’s right for me to post a detailed description of what my workouts are….because then you could just copy exactly what I’m doing and not even get the program haha.  I’m not trying to get in trouble here, guys.  But I will share with you the science and basics behind each type of workout.

For a incredibly well written and detailed explanation of all of this, check out Thor Falk’s blog.  Seriously – he’s done such an excellent job describing all of this, I can’t even begin to do it justice .  He’s gone to incredible lengths detailing the science and mechanics of the program.  Check out his posts here:

“Spot Fat Reduction” Post 1

“Spot Fat Reduction” Post 2

Density Training Log

Density Training Description (Corresponds to above log)

Further Information on Density Training

Designing your own Spot Reduction Workouts

To give you a very short description of what this program is:

Romaniello has designed this program specifically for people who have somewhere between the last 5-20 lbs to lose.  Not that someone with more weight won’t benefit, but the perfect customer, to him, is someone who has lost weight but is clinging onto it on their “trouble” areas.  Romaniello states that according to science, these trouble areas are each the result of a specific hormone, and by doing different types of workouts we can specifically target each of these hormones.  They are:

- Insulin - responsible for Love Handles and Back Fat, spot targeted with Dynamic Training

-Cortisol - responsible for Belly Fat, spot targeted with Lactic Acid Training

-Estrogen – responsible for Thighs, Hips, Booty and “Man Boobs”, spot targeted with Density Training

Each type of workout has a different cadence, a different type of sets or intervals, a different rest pattern.  In addition, Romaniello adds a fourth Workout day, of regular ol’ Strength Training

This leads to 4 different workouts a week and one HIIT session.  So 5 wake-up and workout days a week.

————

So yesterday (Monday) was the first DYNAMIC workout.  Including the warm up, the workout took me about 45 minutes to complete.  So far, here’s what I feel about the Pros and Cons of that workout, and the program in general:

PROS

• It really was a great workout!  Fun, fast paced, and I felt it!
• I worked up a great sweat and was definitely winded by the end of workout.
• (Could be a pro or a con) – there are a wide variety of exercises included in the program and in each workout.  After two weeks of SimpleFit (and I love SimpleFit, don’t get me wrong) I certainly felt more challenged and that I was covering more bases with this workout.

CONS

• Romaniello prints incorrect instructions in half of his materials.  For example, in the main Ebook, he’ll recommend a 30 second rest period, but in the printable Training Sheets, the same rest period is listed for, say, 75 seconds.  This happens a few times and is confusing to say the least.
• Unless you are well versed in fast-paced interval workouts and know your physical strength quite well, you have to take some good time studying the exercises and workout as a whole.  There are multiple rest period lengths – both between exercises and between circuits – and remembering how long to rest at each point can get confusing.  I screwed this up a couple of times for Monday’s workout.
• Not only should you study the cadence of the workouts, you should take some time each day before the next workout to get a feel for how much weight to use for each exercise.  There are a specific number of reps you should be able to complete in each set, and using a weight too heavy or too light could compromise a set you could have completed to the best of your ability (that make sense?)

It seems like the Cons outweigh the Pros, but overall I am really enjoying this challenging program.  What this does point out, though, is who this program is for.

This program is perfect for:

• Someone who has the time to dedicate about an hour to working out (5 x a week for 6 weeks, 4 x a week for 8 weeks)
• Someone who has additional time to focus on learning and memorizing a new workout EVERY DAY.  Yes, there are 4 new workouts a week for six weeks.  This could take anywhere from minutes to hours, depending on your intrinsic knowledge of your potential and exercise in general
• Someone who understands the basic form involved in a variety of full body movements, such as squats, lunges, presses, ect.  An exercise book (with pictures and descriptions) is included with the package, but it can be unwieldy to navigate.  Some of the exercises are missing and it’s difficult to find ones you are looking for (sometimes they’re even under a different name in the exercise book and the main Ebook).

This program is NOT for:

• Someone who is completely new to exercise.  This is just my opinion.  You’d be better off easing your way into this after learning correct form for simple compound body movements and interval training
• Someone who doesn’t yet have the stamina and concentration to quickly move from one exercise to another…over the period of 45 minutes.  I’d say this is definitely an intermediate to advanced program.  Not so much due to the nature of the program itself, but more due to the fact that you have to be on top of everything yourself.  You don’t have a DVD or an interval timer to let you know how long the varied rest breaks are.
• Someone who does not have access to a gym or a pretty well-stocked home gym.  Romaniello says that “bodyweight exercises can be substituted for an exercise in the program”, but he doesn’t indicate what the substitutes are.  So unless you want to spend hours reconfiguring your own program (which, to be honest, would just defeat the purpose of buying to begin with), you need to have at least a few pairs of dumbbells, or at best a set of adjustable dumbbells.

FYI – I’ve only done this program for two days, and I’ve used:

• Adjustable Dumbbells
• Inflatable Swiss Ball
• Adjustable Kettlebell
• Pull up Bar

————–

Today I woke up and completed the first LACTIC ACID Workout.  Ooooo boy.  Felt this one!  My hammys and booty have been a-painin’.  Also might have strained my back a bit with some deadlifts, but I’ll be alright.  I’m going to do some gravity stretches for my back tonight.

Overall, I really like the structure of the Lactic Acid Workouts.  Today’s workout, again, took me roughly 45 minutes.

I won’t lie though – I’m looking forward to a rest day tomorrow .

————

Daily Meals:

MONDAY, MAR 23

TUESDAY, MAR 22

Additional Nom-Worthy Mentions:

-I’ve stared using Mimiccream in my coffee rather than the coconut creamer.  It’s certainly different, though very pleasant.  I enjoy it.  It’s very nutty, and kind of smokey.

-I’ve been trying to up my fat, so instead of just eating Coconut Oil by the tablespoon I decided to make some Coconut Bark yesterday.  SUCH A GOOD IDEA – it’s an incredible treat! Just:

• Melt 1 TB (or more, it’s up to you) of Coconut Oil in the microwave (1 TB = ~15-18 seconds)
• If desired, add mix ins.  Monday I added a tiny bit of Stevia and Cocoa Powder, a splash of Vanilla Extract and a pinch of Sea Salt.  Today, I added a tiny bit of Stevia, a splash of Vanilla, a pinch of Sea Salt and 1 TB of Almond Butter.  Uh. Maze. Ing.
• Pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.  Mine works out well because I just make it in a little ramekin, so it freezes up really nicely.  It’s about 1/8-1/4 inch thick.  And delightful.

-Made some Vegan/Paleo Pesto today with:

• 1.5 Cups Fresh Basil
• .5 Cup Fresh Cilantro
• .75 Cup Walnuts (Soaked Overnight and Toasted)
• 2 TB Lemon Juice
• ~1/4 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• Splash of Xylitol Maple Syrup

First blend the toasted nuts in a food processor (I had to use a blender, which made it much more difficult).  Then add the basil and cilantro and blend further.  If you have a crappy blender like me, you’ll have to add some water to facilitate blending.  Add garlic and lemon juice.  Blend again.  Finally, while blending, slowly pour olive oil in.  I added a tiny bit of sweetener to mine because it kind of tasted “off” – I’m not sure if I toasted the nuts wrong or if the cilantro was funky or something, but that little bit of sweetener went a long way .