[Year's_End]

TL;DR: Made a workout "challenge". Will lose 7.5% body fat in three months. Not hard, but requires dedication. Currently 18.5%. Will be 11% in March. I encourage other members to post a body fat reduction plan using this method, unless you're already ripped and dgaf.

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Ok guys, real quick side note: I'm an employee for a large chain of fitness clubs, and I've been involved with gyms since I was about 12. However, it wasn't until the past three years that I've been going to the gym with serious consistency and dedication. I reached my peak fitness level about a half year ago, weighing approximately 165-170lbs @ ~13% body fat with a moderate amount of muscle. I'm 6'1" and 21 years old, and I kind of let myself go over these last six months. My current weight/body fat percentage: 180lbs/18.5%. I know this because our gym supplies members with a benchmark machine that accurately measure statistics like these, plus blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, etc.

Here's my three month fitness plan that I created while I was at work, and I invite anyone who wants some sort of friendly competition to please join in on this:

1) Multiply current weight x Desired amount of body fat you wish to lose
2) Multiply that result x 3500 (number of calories per pound of fat)
3) Divide by 90 (days in three months)
4) Result will be required daily caloric deficit

There are roughly 3,500 calories per pound of fat. I plan on losing 7.5% of my body fat over the next three months. That's not really difficult, but it does require consistency and dedication nonetheless. Plus I don't want to lose any muscle mass in the process.

To get these results, I'm expecting 70% of the work to consist of dieting, while the other 30% will consist of daily cardio (at least 30 mins daily) and muscular development (to burn calories during downtime).

In order for me to figure out the required calorie deficit to meet my goal, which is 11% body fat by early March, I'll need to multiple my weight times the amount of body fat I wish to lose (180 x .075 = 13.5 ), then multiply that by the amount of calories there are per pound of fat (13.5 x 3500 = 47,250), and finally, take that number and divide it by three months, which is 90 days (47,250/90 = 525) This is the amount I need to lose per day[/B].

This is not hard at all. 30 mins of cardio will burn anything between 350-500 calories depending upon the level of exertion, and combine that with proper dieting, and I might even exceed this number from time to time.

My workout challenge begins tomorrow: 12/08/2010. It ends on 3/08/2011. I am determined to meet or exceed this goal.

Anyone up for a challenge? All that's required is an update at least twice a month, at no specific time, to keep yourself motivated and keep an eye on your benchmark. You set your goals. Try to make it a challenge. I'm going to keep bumping this because it will provide some form of motivation.

[bmwmthree]

good luck!

[bmwmthree]

i would consider joining the challenge but i was in an accident recently so i can't really go to the gym for ~3 months (especially when i was planning to start exercising a lot now).

[BMWM3DREAM]

I don't know if doing 30 minutes of cardio daily wiil burn 350-500 calories especially given your current weight. It's probably more like 150-250 calories.

[TK-421]

You got this Nikkah

Originally Posted by Bmoney2K4

I don't know if doing 30 minutes of cardio daily wiil burn 350-500 calories especially given your current weight. It's probably more like 150-250 calories.

I'm around 8% at 170 and just 30 minutes will burn around 500 for me. I do HIIT on the treadmill - full incline, 4.0 for 30 sec and 4.7 for 1:30, repeat for a total of 10 times (20 minutes). Oh and there's a 5 minute warmup/cooldown. I feel it a lot more if I don't hold the handrails

[Cookiemonster]

Yeah...I am 170 5'9" at 18.0%.

I can burn 1000 calories in an hour but it is intense.

800 in an hour is more realistic. 400 in a half hour

The heavier you are the more you burn.

[PKL]

Originally Posted by Bmoney2K4

I don't know if doing 30 minutes of cardio daily wiil burn 350-500 calories especially given your current weight. It's probably more like 150-250 calories.

With DAILY cardio... your body starts to burn more than the average amount of calories on a daily basis just doing normal activities.

it's not just about how much calories you burn in a specific work out.

[Year's_End]

186lbs/14.8%

on track.

[DFW_MThree]

nice keep it up man, ive made a huge change in the past year and a half as well. i went from 198 and 18% body fat to now 170 and i stay at about 7-9% body fat, it takes alot of hard work but its def worth it.

[TK-421]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

186lbs/14.8%

on track.

how are you tracking your bf? the machine i use at my gym has people stand on a scale and grasp 2 handles. on thursday it said 8%, friday 11%, saturday 9%, and monday 8%. every time i measured it was after a half hour of cardio and some abs time before that. no huge eating binges during any of those days either

[Quick6EF]

Originally Posted by TK-421

how are you tracking your bf? the machine i use at my gym has people stand on a scale and grasp 2 handles. on thursday it said 8%, friday 11%, saturday 9%, and monday 8%. every time i measured it was after a half hour of cardio and some abs time before that. no huge eating binges during any of those days either

I like calipers and someone properly trained to use them.

[ben14142001]

God speed brotha, I've always had really low bodyfat and just started stacking on lean muscle in the past 3 or so years, so I'm a lucky bastard. Last I checked I'm right about 180 and 4% bodyfat (Did calipers and underwater weighing).

[Z4Murder]

im 175 lbs at 6% . my goal is to be 185 lbs at 5% by the end of this deployment

[BimmerRob]

Originally Posted by Z4Murder

im 175 lbs at 6% . my goal is to be 185 lbs at 5% by the end of this deployment

I'm currently 160 @ 10%. trying to get to 180 @ 6%, but to do this you need massive calorie intake. what kind of weight gain are you taking if any, and what sort of strength exercises do you do?

[Year's_End]

Thanks for the support guys. In all honesty, I have a slim chance of hitting 11% by the beginning of march, but it's a definite possibility by the end of the month.

Originally Posted by TK-421

how are you tracking your bf? the machine i use at my gym has people stand on a scale and grasp 2 handles. on thursday it said 8%, friday 11%, saturday 9%, and monday 8%. every time i measured it was after a half hour of cardio and some abs time before that. no huge eating binges during any of those days either

We have a machine similar to what you're describing, except the weight plate is done at a different point from your bfat analysis. The best time to use it is as soon as possible after you wake up in the morning. Things like hydration, intake, and working out throw off the values a lot. I can make the reading go from 17 to 14 percent just by drinking a lot of water, measuring myself, then sweating it all out in about two hours.

[TK-421]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

We have a machine similar to what you're describing, except the weight plate is done at a different point from your bfat analysis. The best time to use it is as soon as possible after you wake up in the morning. Things like hydration, intake, and working out throw off the values a lot. I can make the reading go from 17 to 14 percent just by drinking a lot of water, measuring myself, then sweating it all out in about two hours.

Hmm I'll give that a shot. Good luck with this dude, I have some goals I'm working towards as well and this is helping me stay motivated.

[Year's_End]

Yeah buddy, good luck to you too.

[newdadkel]

Some of those BF scales can be way off. The college I graduated from has hydrostatic weighing and wanted to compare various other devices to this, which is the gold standard. The closest to underwater weighing is actually calipers with someone who is well trained in how to measure skin fold. The more measurements you take from various sites, the more accurate it becomes. However, if they are not well trained, it can vary by 3-6 points. When I tested, underwater showed 4.5%. Calipers showed 5%. The other electronic devices showed anywhere from 8-23%. The worst by far was the hand-held unit that has to electrodes on the handles. It never gave any measurements even close to UW or caliper.

Good luck with your work-outs.

[Z4Murder]

Originally Posted by e92hobear

I'm currently 160 @ 10%. trying to get to 180 @ 6%, but to do this you need massive calorie intake. what kind of weight gain are you taking if any, and what sort of strength exercises do you do?

yes you are correct on the massive calorie intake, as long as you are sure to burn those calories as well by staying active and lifting heavy. i take no weight gainer but for protein i take syntha-6 about 3 times a day. pre workout, post workout, and before bed. I work out almost everyday, just taking a day off for a day or two when i feel my body needs more time to recover.

i feel the diet is more important than weight gainers anyway. eat plenty of lean high protein food: turkey, chicken, tuna, eggs. and plenty of fruits and vegetables. dont worry so much about eating low fat food, because we need those calories.

as far as exercises, shit, i do damn near everything. make sure you focus on the big mass gainers: shoulder presses, squats, bench press, deadlifts. let me know if you have more questions.

this is all coming from a guy who has been working out for 3 years. i started at 135 lbs. no bullshit. just so you know my history