To measure is to know. If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.

- Lord Kelvin

I thought I would provide a quick update on my progress using the “Geek to Freak” high intensity training program I had outlined in a previous post. This program consisted of a high intensity exercise routine and a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.

Exercise

I described my specific exercise routine in my Printable High Intensity Training Log post, which contains a PDF tracking sheet which you can download. By simply multiplying the weight lifted (in kilograms) times the reps for each exercise and adding these results up, I am able to show my overall progress over the first 11 workouts in the chart below:

The left axis is the overall weight lifted in kilograms across all exercises. Obviously, exercises using the larger muscle groups (like the legs and chest) where more weight is lifted make a larger effect on the overall results above, however, the above upward trend is apparent in each individual exercise.  For example, the results for a single exercise (biceps curl) over the same 11 workouts:

It would seem that I am getting stronger, which I hope is indicative of building muscle mass.

Diet

Being conscious of my program, I was able to reduce carbohydrates. For example, I would choose salad over french fries, and more vegetables and meat over rice and potatoes. However, I did not track my diet, nor rigorously cut out all carbohydrates. For example, I continued to eat my hamburgers with buns, and I ate pasta when it was the only choice. I still had sugar in my coffee, but cut the amount by 50%. I think there is room for improvement here, although I am satisfied that I ate better than I had before, if only incrementally.

Next Steps

After 11 workouts, my gain in strength is noticeable (see the charts!), but I don’t feel as though I have made a revolutionary change in how I look. My body weight was fairly consistent across my 11 workouts, starting at 188 lbs. dipping as low as 184 lbs. and peaking as high as 189 lbs. I don’t think body weight is a good measure anyway as (I hope) muscle mass is being gained as fat is lost. Since I do not have ready access to sophisticated ways to measure fat and muscle mass content, I plan to start measuring body dimensions: for example, a decrease in waist size coupled with a increase in chest and arm size would probably be indicative of success with this program. Any thoughts?

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A few days ago, I described a high intensity workout that forms part of my own Geek to Freak program. This program is based loosely on Timothy Ferriss’ famous blog post From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks. Part of this program involves recording every workout in detail, including the date, the time of day, your weight, your mood, the order of exercises, reps, and weight/resistance.

As I mentioned earlier, a high intensity workout is characterized by a one-set-to-failure method. What this means is you only do a single set of each exercise and you keep doing reps until you cannot lift/move the weights any longer. In my case, each workout session consists of eleven different exercises covering the whole body. I perform a single set of each exercise using a 5/5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down) which eliminates momentum and ensures a constant load. I choose the weight so that I reach exhaustion somewhere between 8 to 12 reps. If I can do 12 reps it is an indication to raise the weight next time. If I cannot do 8 reps it is an indication that the resistance is set too high. I prefer machines over free weights for this program because I feel machines have a better chance of ensuring both a full range of motion and discipline in each movement. I space my workouts by at least 48 hours.

I created this workout log to track of my progress. Here is how it works:

First, you enter the date and start time of the workout. I track my weight, but you may also like to track other vitals such as waist size, arm diameter, chest size, etc. I also track my mood. I know this is subjective, but I feel it is a major factor in the performance of exercise.

Next, you perform a single set of each exercise in sequence (so as to not alter the order of the exercises). For each exercise you fill in the weight or resistance used and the number of reps you performed. For example, if you lifted 100 lbs. for 10 reps, you would write in “100 X 10″ in the spaces provided.

At the end of the workout, you capture the finish time, at which point you can calculate the duration of the workout. You can take this log home and enter the results into a spreadsheet, database or simply place it in a simple file folder. This can be used for tracking your progress over time.

In the hope of conserving a little paper, I formatted things in such a way as to allow two log forms to be printed on one sheet of 8 1/2 X 11 paper. You can simply cut the page down the middle and you have a log form for two workouts! Hopefully it helps you keep track of your own high intensity training which hopefully pays off in four weeks. So far, I have found this very useful.

Give it a try and let me know what happens!

» Download PDF

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The end result? I gained 34 lbs. of muscle, while losing 3 lbs. of fat, in 28 days…all of this was done with two 30-minute workouts per week, for a total of 4 HOURS of gym time.

Source: Timothy Ferriss’ Blog.

Is this another case of questioning assumptions leading to revolutionary results, or a case of unsubstantiated infomercial-esque claims?

The Theory

As far as I can tell, the program Ferriss describes in his post is a cross between high intensity training and the Aitken’s diet. The ideas are not really new at all, but both are somewhat controversial in their respective domains.

The idea behind high intensity workouts is that exercises should be, well, intense! - meaning that one uses heavier weights, for a limited number of repetitions until exhaustion. The corollary being that workouts are brief and infrequent (the typical regimen is to do one set of each exercise three days a week). Supposedly this kind of exercise will cause large increases in muscle size. The controversy surrounds the fact that this type of workout is facilitated by Nautilus style equipment, equipment which came to market at the same time as this style of training was first advocated.  One could wonder whether these claims were made for the express purposes of selling such equipment.

Aitken’s diet is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. A quick and dirty version of this diet might be described as simply eating what you eat today, but cut out the bread, potatoes, rice, fruit, desserts and sugar. If you are hungry, eat whatever you want as long as it is not part of the aforementioned list. This diet is controversial because it is more or less mute on the topic of eating fat - the reduction of which is usually the pillar of standard diets and nutritional programs. Having tried a low carbohydrate diet in the past, I believe it can be effective. One would think it is easy to do as there does not have to necessarily be a reduction in food quantity - as long as the carbs are cut out. However, after a month of low carb’ing it, you would be surprised how enticing a simple bowl of steamed rice or a bun appears.

I want to state emphatically that I am not an expert on high intensity training, or the Aitken’s diet. Furthermore, I am not an athlete, personal trainer or a doctor (unless I am trying to meet women in a bar). The above is just my simple understanding, I encourage you to investigate everything further, and I am hardly advocating that either works or is even healthy (I don’t know!).

My Geek to Freak Program

Here is how I have decided to implement my own kinder, gentler “Geek to Freak” program:

1. I am following the high intensity training one-set-to-failure method (see the Colorado Experiment). Unlike Ferriss, I am going with the more regular frequency of three workouts per week with 48 hours rest between sessions, which amounts to me doing the training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The 4 hour per month claim simply sounds too incredulous.
2. I am performing every repetition with a 5/5 cadence (5 seconds up, 5 seconds down). As Ferriss points out, this eliminates momentum and ensures a constant load.
3. I am doing 11 exercises per training session, working the entire body each workout. I am favouring machines over free weights to ensure discipline and full extension in each movement. My exercises include: Leg presses, extensions and curls, shoulder press, seated rows, chest press, biceps curl, triceps extension, chin-ups, cable cross-overs and calf raises.
4. On the diet side, I am avoiding bread, potatoes, rice, fruit, desserts and sugar. I am not going out of my way to eat enormous quantities of protein however by cutting out carbohydrates I am no doubt eating more protein. One thing I need is sugar in my coffee. I am only putting in half a teaspoon per cup (I would put in a teaspoon per cup before).
5. I think I will keep the number of exercise sessions per week static even if I increase in strength, size and good looks, as it just works well with my daily schedule. I will do cardio or play hockey or another sport on Tuesday and Thursdays.
6. I am recording every workout in detail, including the date, the time of day, my weight, my mood, the order of exercises, reps, and weight.

I’ll keep you posted and get some stats up regarding this experiment as soon as possible!

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